IMAGE  leVALUATION 
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IM    IIIII2.2 


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America 

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^  Price  10  Cents 

Klpndyke 

V^<^%riE^^escription  of  the  Great  Gold  Regions 
^        nr  the  Northwest  Territories  and  Alaska 

BY 

Joseph  Ladue 

Founder  of  Dawson  City,  N.W.T. 

Explorer,  Miner  and    Prospector 


PHOTOGRAPlli;i>    KKOM    ONE   Ul     TUK   AITTHOK'S   Nl'lUiETJ'. 


NEW   YORK 

AriERICAN  TECHNICAL  BOOK  COMPANY 

45  VESEY  STREET 

American  Technical  Series  No.  5.     Issued  quarterly.    Anuual  subscription  $2.00 
Entered  at  the  New  York,  N.  Y  ,  Post  Office  as  second  class  matter 

September,  1897 


rw "     >^-'^ 


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KLONDYKE   NUGGETS 


BEING 


V    ''mKK    DKSCRIITFOX    OF     1  H  K    lAMOUS    (;()!, I)    REGION'S  OF 
THK    CREAT    CANADIAN    NORTHWES'!'    AND    ALASKA 


By  JOSEPH    LADUE 

VOUNDEK    i)K   DAWSON',    N.  \V.  T.,  AND    AlTllOK    OK   "  KLONDYKE    FACTS.* 


aW     •■„     '•'  ' 


^-: 


NEW    YORK 

AMERICAN  TECHNICAL  BOOK  CO., 

45  Vesev   Strket. 


0 


^     ExsmolAim 


Copyright,  1897, 
ERICAN  TECHNICAL  BOOK  CO. 


p^^^^        *^fcL^//  Kiij^hts  Reserved 
SS^SMlBl  can  be  mnAwithout  the  permission  of  the  PubUshers, 


* « •    «  • 


, 

«        a        w  "  • 
•        •        «*    • 


307192 


0 


PREFACE. 


TiiK  (.xtri,«,.,linary  excitement  arising  from  tl.e 
reports  of  tl,e  discovery  of  (Jol,l  in  th^  Klon  ly  „ 
.•o^ion  ,n  tl.,.  great  Canadian  Xortluvest  h  not  sur- 
l>n.s,ng  ,,  one  wl,o,  tl.rougl,  ,,o,-sonal  residence  an.l 
Ihriocalit'r''*'"'"''''  ''  *''"™"S'''^  conversant  with 

Having  recently  returned  for  g^ttiary^stav. 
after  a  son.owi.at  successful  o^'^nll^iLf^.  . 

ferea   that   t  far  exceeds  n,y  ability  and  the  time  at 
"ly  disposal  to  make  direct  replies  . 

I  have  therefore  arranged'.. with  the' American 
rechn^al  Boole  Co    45  Yese^'.  Street,  N^v  York  ^ 
tm  v'to\        ''?r       "'"  ^"'^  '''^^'="l«tion,  prepara- 

ni  uv       '•   '  t°^  "^  "'  l'"««^'  "■'*''  illustrations 
.tnd  maps   m  which  will  be  found  a  vast  fund  of 

It  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  tell  the  truth  of  these 
recent  discoveries  of  gold,  b„t  while  I  can  onW 
brieHy  describe  the  territory  in  this  small  work  il 

8      ' 


^  PREFACE. 

shjill  be  my  endeavor  to  give  the  intending  pros- 
pector, in  the  large  work  above  mentioned,  as  maiiy 
fjicts  as  ])ossible,  and  these  may  thoroughly  be  relied 
upon,  as  from  one  who  has  lived  continuously  in 

those  regions  since  1882. 

Joseph  Ladue. 


COMPLliVlENTS  OF  . . . 

THE  JOSEPH  LADUE  GOLD  MmiNUND 
DEVELOPMENT  GOMPANY  OF  YUKON. 

KLONDYKE  NUGGETS- 


CHAPTER  r. 


KLONDYKE. 


Klondyke  !  The  word  and  place  that  lias  startled 
the  civilized  world  is  to-day  a  series  of  thriving  min- 
ing camps  on  the  Yukon  River  and  its  tributaries  in 
the  Canadian  Northwest  Territories. 

Prior  to  August  24,  189f),  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try had  never  been  heard  of.  It  Avas  on  this  day 
that  a  man  named  Henderson  discovered  the  first 
gold. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  following  month  the  writer 
commenced  erecting  the  first  house  in  this  region 
and  called  the  place  Dawson  City,  now  the  central 
point  of  the  mining  camps. 

Dawson  City  is  now  the  most  important  ])oint  in 
the  new  mining  regions.  Its  population  in  J  une,  1 897, 
exceeded  4,000 ;  by  June  next  it  cannot  be  less  than 
25,000.  It  has  a  saw-mill,  stores,  churches,  of  the 
Presbyterian,  Baptist,  Methodist  and  Poman  Catho- 
lic denominations.     It  is  the  hea(U[uarters  of  the 


.i 


6 


KLOM)  YKK  SUaaKTS. 


Canadian  Xortlnvost  Mounted  I'olicc,  uml  iwrfect 
Ittm  ami  orihr  /.v  nmuitnlmtl. 

It  is  at  Dawson  City  that  the  prospoctoi"  iilcs  liis 
claims  with  th(3  (xoviirniniMit  (iold  Commissioner, 
in  the  recor(lin<i:  oflices. 

Dawson  (Jity  faces  on  one  of  tii(^  hanks  of  tiu! 
Yukon  River,  and  now  occupies  aijout  a  mih'  of  the 
hank.  It  is  at  tlie  junction  of  tiie  Klondyke  kiver 
with  the  Yuivon  liiver.  It  is  Iiere  wiiere  tiie  most 
vahuihle  mining  chiims  ai'e  ])eing  o})erat«Mlon  a  scah? 
of  ])rolit  that  the  workl  has  hitlierto  never  known. 
The  entire  country  surrounding  is  teeming  witli 
mineral  wealth. 

Copper,  silver  and  coal  can  he  found  in  large 
quantities,  but  little  or  no  attention  is  now  being 
paid  to  these  valuable  minerals,  as  every  one  is  en- 
gaged in  gold-hunting  and  working  the  extraijrdinary 
placer  mining  claims  already  located. 

The  entire  section  is  given  up  to  placer  milling. 
Very  few  claims  had  been  filed  foi*  ([uartz  mining. 
The  fields  of  gold  "will  not  be  exhausted  in  the  near 
future.  No  man  can  tell  Avliat  the  end  will  be. 
From  Jan.uary  to  April,  1897,  about  ^4,(»0o,(M)()  were 
taken  out  of  the  few  placer  claims  then  being 
worked.  This  was  done  in  a  territ(jry  not  exceed- 
ing forty  square  miles.  All  these  claims  are  located 
on  Klondyke  Kiver  and  the  little  tributaries  empty- 
ing into  it,  and  the  districts  are  known  as  Big- 
Bonanza,  Gold  Bottom  and  Honker. 

I  have  asked  old  and  experienccnl  miners  at 
Dawson,  City  who  mined  through  California  in  Bo- 
nanza days,  and  some  who  mined  in  Australia,  w^hat 


tlicy  thought  of  the  Kloiidvkc  lv^ri(,n,  and  their  re- 
l)lyh;is  invaniil)ly  been,  "  Tl»e  worUl  never  sjiw  so 
viist  {ind  ricli  a  lind  of  gohl  as  we  are  workin<r  now." 
Davvson  City  is  (U)stined  to  be  the  <rreatest  mining 
camp  in  the  history  of  mining  operations. 


I 


8 


KLOND  YKE  \ I ^(iGETS, 


CTIAT^TER   TI. 


K  r-  O  N  1)  Y  K  K      F  A  C  1  S 


There  is  a  great  popular  error  in  reference  to  the 
climate  of  the  gold  regions.  Many  reports  have 
appeared  in  the  newspapers  Avhich  are  misleading. 
It  has  been  even  stated  that  the  cold  is  excessive 
almost  throu<>hoiit  the  year.  This  is  entirely  a 
mis-statement. 

I  have  found  I  have  suffered  more  from  winter 
cold  in  Northern  New  York  than  I  ever  did  in 
Alaska  or  the  Canadian  Northwest. 

I  have  chop])ed  wood  in  my  shirt-sleeves  in  front 
of  my  door  at  Dawson  City  when  the  thermometer 
was  70  degrees  below  zero,  and  I  suifered  no  incon- 
venience. AVe  account  for  this  from  the  fact  that 
the  air  is  very  dry.  It  is  a  fact  that  you  do  not 
feel  this  low  temperature  as  much  as  you  would  15 
below  zero  in  the  East. 

We  usually  have  about  three  feet  of  snow  in 
winter  and  it  is  as  dry  as  sawdust. 

As  we  have  no  winter  thaws  no  crust  forms  on 
the  snow,  tiierefore  we  travel  from  the  various 
points  that  may  be  necessary  with  snowshoes.  These 
may  be  purchased  from  the  Indians  in  the  vicinity 
of  Dawson  City  at  from  $5.00  to  $10.00  per  pair 
according  to  the  quality. 


^ 


KLoyDYKE  yuaaETs.  9 

The  winter  clavs  are  verv  shoi't.  In  this  re^ifion 
there  are  only  two  liours  from  sunrise  to  sunset. 
The  sun  rises  and  sets  awav  in  the  south  but  there 
is  no  pitch  darkness. 

Tlie  twilight  lasts  all  night  and  the  Northern 
Lights  are  very  common.  Then  in  summer  it  is 
exactly  the  other  way.  The  day  there  in  July  is 
al)()ut  twenty  hours  long.  The  sun  rising  and  set- 
ting in  the  north.  A  great  deal  has  been  said 
about  the  short  seasons,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact  a 
minor  can  work  12  months  in  the  year  when  in  that 
region. 

Spring  opens  about  May  1st  and  the  ice  com- 
mences to  break  up  about  that  time.  The  Yukon 
Ivivor  is  generally  clear  of  ice  about  May  15.  The 
best  ]):irt  of  the  miner's  work  commences  then  and 
lasts  till  about  October  1st. 

The  winter  commences  in  October  but  the  miner 
keeps  on  Avorking  through  the  winter.  The  rainy 
season  commences  in  the  latter  part  of  August  and 
lasts  two  or  three  Aveeks. 

A  fall  of  two  feet  of  snow  is  considered  lieavv. 

« 

There  is  a  wide  dilference  in  {ho,  (piantity  of  snow 
that  accumulates  on  the  coast  and  the  i-anges  in  the 
interior  where  the  principal  mining  claims  are 
located. 

While  the  fall  of  snow  on  the  coast  is  heavy  the 
depth  of  snow  as  far  down  as  the  Yukon,  Stewart 
and  Klondvke  rivers  is  inconsiderable. 

In  my  new  work  on  this  territorv  entitled  "Klon- 
dA'ke  Facts "  I  deal  more  largely  on  the  climate  of 
this  region. 


10 


KLONBYKE  NUGGETS. 


There  are  still  good  diggings  at  Circle  City  in 
Alaska,  but  nearly  all  the  miners  have  left  for  Klon- 
dyke,  not  being  satisfied  with  the  pay  dirt  which 
they  were  working.  I  know  at  least  20  good  claims 
in  Circle  Citv\ 

Fort  Cudahy,  or  as  it  is  sometimes  called  Forty 
Mile  Creek,  is  now  practically  exhausted  as  a  mining 
camp,  and  the  miners  have  left  for  other  diggings. 

There  wdll  undoubtedly  be  new  and  valuable  dig- 
gings discovered  very  quickly  along  this  region  as 
it  is  certain  that  this  enormous  territory  is  rich  in 
gold-bearing  districts. 

The  entire  country  is  teeming  with  mineral 
wealth. 

When  mining  operations  commence  on  coal  it 
will  be  specially  valuable  for  steamers  on  the  various 
rivers  and  greatly  assist  transportation  facilities. 

In  the  next  few  years  there  will  certainly  be 
recorded  the  most  marvellous  discoveries  in  this 
territory,  usually  thought  to  be  only  a  land  of  snow 
and  ice  and  fit  only  to  be  classed  with  the  Arctic 
regions. 

It  is  marvellous  to  state  that  for  some  years  past 
we  have  been  finding  gold  in  occasional  places  in 
this  territory,  but  from  the  poverty  of  the  people  no 
effort  was  made  to  prospect  among  the  places  re- 
ported. 

It  is  my  belief  that  the  greatest  finds  of  gold  will 
be  made  in  this  territor}^  It  is  safe  to  say  that 
not  2  per  cent,  of  all  the  gold  discovered  so  far  has 
been  on  United  States  soil. 

The  great  mass  of  the  work  has  been  done  on  the 


KL  OND  YKE  N  UGGETS. 


n 


Northwest  territory,  which  is  under  the  Canadian 
Government. 

It  is  possible  liowever  that  further  discoveries  will 
be  made  on  American  soil,  but  it  is  my  opinion  that 
the  most  valuable  discoveries  will  be  further  east 
and  south  of  tlie  present  claims,  and  would  advise 
prospectors  to  work  east  and  south  oi  Klondyke. 


m 


>  V 


e    *    V 


0  3     .> 


12 


ELONDYKE  FACTS. 


TUB   YUKON   RIVER   AND   ITS  TRIBUTARIES. 

*'  Wliat  the  Amazon  is  to  South  America,  the  Mississippi 
to  the  central  portion  of  the  United  States,  the  Yukon  is 
to  Alaska.  It  is  a  great  inland  higliway,  which  will  make 
it  possible  for  the  explorer  to  penetrate  the  mysterious  fast- 
nesses of  that  still  unknown  region.  The  Yukon  has  its 
source  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  of  British  Columbia  and 
the  Coast  Range  Mountains  in  southeastern  Alaska,  about 
125  miles  from  the  city  of  Juneau,  which  is  the  present 
metropolis  of  Alaska.  But  it  is  only  known  as  the  Yukon 
River  at  the  point  where  the  Pelly  River,  the  branch  that 
heads  in  British  Columbia,  meets  with  the  Lewes  River, 
which  lieads  in  southeastern  Alaska.  This  point  of  con- 
fluence is  at  Fort  Selkirk,  in  the  Northwest  Territory, 
about  125  miles  southeast  of  the  Klondyke.  The  Yukon 
proper  is  2,044  miles  in  length.  From  Fort  Selkirk  it 
flows  northwest  400  miles,  just  touching  the  Arctic  circle  ; 
^lience  southward  for  a  distance  of  1,600  miles,  where  it 
empties  into  Behring  Sea.  It  drains  more  than  600,000 
square  miles  of  territory,  and  disciiarges  one-third  more 
wator  into  Behring  Sea  than  does  the  Mississippi  into  the 
(lulf  of  Mexico.  At  its  mouth  it  is  sixty  miles  wide. 
About  1,500  miles  inland  it  widens  out  from  one  to  ten 
miles.  A  thousand  islands  send  the  channel  in  as  many 
different  directions.  O'lly  natives  wlio  are  thoroughly 
familiar  with  thi-  river  ai'e  entrusted  with  the  piloting  of 
boats  iip'the'stream  during  ;;he  season  o^Jo'v  v/ater.  Even 
at  tlie  season  of  high  Aratcr  it  is  still  so  shalkcA^  as  not  to 
be  navigable. ail)  wire ••x  bys-ea^o-ing'  V'Soels,  but  only  by  flat- 
bottomed  boats  with  a  carrying  capac'ty  of  four  to  five 
hundred  tons.  The  draft  of  steamers  on  the  Yukon 
should  not  exceed  three  and  a  half  feet. 


f 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


13 


( 


f 


/. 


"  The  Yukon  district,  which  is  within  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Canadian  Government  and  in  whicli  the  bulk  of  the 
gohl  has  been  found,  has  a  total  area,  approximately,  of 
10:i,000  square  miles,  of  which  150,768  square  miles  are 
included  in  the  watershed  of  the  Yukon.  Illustrating  this, 
so  that  it  may  appeal  with  definiteness  to  the  reader,  it 
may  be  said  that  this  territory  is  greater  by  71,100  square 
miles  than  the  area  of  Great  Britain,  and  is  nearly  three 
times  that  of  all  the  New  England  States  combined. 

''A  further  fact  must  be  borne  in  mind.  The  Yukon 
River  is  absolutely  closed  to  navigation  during  the 
winter  months.  In  the  winter  the  frost-king  asserts  his 
dominion  and  locks  up  all  approaches  with  impenetrable 
ice,  and  the  summer  is  of  the  briefest.  It  endures  only 
for  twelve  to  fourteen  weeks,  from  about  the  first  of 
June  to  the  middle  of  September.  Then  an  unend- 
ing panorama  of  extraordinary  picturesqueness  is  unfolded 
to  the  voyager.  The  banks  are  fringed  with  flowers, 
carpeted  with  the  ail-pervading  moss  or  tuiulra.  Birds 
countless  in  numbers  and  of  infinite  variety  in  plumage, 
sing  out  a  welcome  from  every  treetop.  Pitch  your  tent 
where  you  will  in  midsummer,  a  bed  of  roses,  a  clump  of 
poppies  and  a  bunch  of  bluebells  will  adorn  your  camping. 
But  high  above  this  paradise  of  almost  tropical  exuberance 
giant  glaciers  sleep  in  the  summit  of  tlie  mountain  wall, 
which  rises  up  from  a  bed  of  roses.  By  September  every- 
thing is  changed.  The  bed  of  roses  has  disappeared  be- 
fore the  icy  breath  of  the  winter  king,  which  sends  the 
thermometer  down  sometimes  to  seventy  degrees  below 
freezing  point.  The  birds  fly  to  the  southland  and  the 
bear  to  his  sleeping  chambe."  in  the  mountains.  Every 
stream  beco.ii^s  a  sheet  of  ice,  mountain  and  valley  alike  are 
covered  with  snow  till  the  following  May. 

''  That  part  of  the  basin  of  the  Yukon  in  which  gold  in 
greater  or  less  quantities  has  actually  been  found  lies  partly 


14 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


in  Alaska  and  partly  in  British  territory.  It  covers  an  area 
of  some  50,000  square  miles.  But  so  far  the  infinitely 
richest  snot  lies  some  one  hundred  miles  cast  of  the 
American  boundary,  in  the  region  drained  by  the  Klondyke 
and  its  tributaries.  This  is  some  three  hundred  miles  by 
river  from  Circle  City. 

'*  We  have  described  some  of  the  beauties  of  the  Yukon 
basin  in  the  summer  season,  but  this  radiant  picture  has 
its  obverse  side. 

**  Horseflies,  gnats  and  mosquitoes  add  to  the  joys  of  liv- 
ing throughout  the  entire  length  of  the  Yukon  valley. 
The  horsefly  is  larger  and  more  poignantly  assertive  than 
the  insect  which  we  know  by  that  luime.  In  dressing  or 
undressing,  it  has  a  pleasant  habit  of  detecting  any  bare 
spot  in  the  body  and  biting  out  a  piece  of  flesh,  leaving  a 
wound  which  a  few  days  later  looks  like  an  inciiiient  boil. 
Schwatka  reporLs  that  one  of  his  party,  so  bitten  was  com- 
pletely disabled  for  a  week.  *  At  the  moment  of  infliction.' 
he  adds,  '  it  was  hard  to  believe  that  one  was  not  disabled 
for  life.' 

'^  The  mosquitoes  according  to  the  same  authority  are 
equally  distressing.  They  are  especially  fond  of  cattle, 
but  without  any  reciprocity  of  affection.  '  According  to 
the  general  terms  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest  and  the 
growth  of  muscles  most  used  to  the  detriment  of  others,' 
says  the  lieutenant  in  an  unusual  burst  of  humor,  ^a  baiul 
of  cattle  inhabiting  this  district,  in  the  far  future,  would  be 
all  tail  and  no  body,  unless  the  mosquitoes  should  experience 
a  change  of  numbers.' " 

I  am  indebted  to  Wm.  Ogilvie,  Esq.,  for  the  following 
valuable  information  relative  to  The  Yukon  District. 

"  The  Yukon  District  comprises,  speaking  generally,  that 
part  of  the  Northwest  Territories  lying  west  of  the  water 
shed  of  the  Mackenzie  River  ;  most  of  it  is  drained  by  the 
Yukon  River  and   its  tributaries.     It  covers  a  distance 


i 


r 


^ 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


15 


the 


f 


of  about  G50  miles  along  the  river  from  the  coast  range  of 
mountains. 

**  In  1848  Campbell  established  Fort  Selkirk  at  the  conflu- 
ence of  the  Pelly  and  Lewes  Kivers  ;  it  was  plundered  and 
destroyed  in  185:2  by  the  Coast  Indians,  and  only  the  ruins 
now  exist  of  what  was  at  one  time  the  most  important  post 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to  the  west  of  the  Kocky 
Mountains  in  the  far  north.  In  1809  the  Hudson's  Hay 
Company's  officer  was  expelled  from  Fort  Yukon  by  the 
United  States  Government,  they  having  ascertained  by  as- 
tronomical observations  that  the  post  was  not  located  in 
British  territory.  The  officer  thereupon  ascended  the 
I'orcupine  to  a  point  which  was  supposed  to  be  within 
British  jurisdiction,  where  he  established  Kampart  House  ; 
but  in  1890  Mr.  J.  II.  Turner  of  the  United  States  Coast 
Survey  found  it  to  be  20  miles  within  the  lines  of  the 
United  States.  Consequently  in  1891  the  post  was  moved 
20  miles  further  up  the  river  to  be  within  British  territory. 

"The next  people  to  enter  the  country  for  trading  pur- 
poses were  Messrs.  Harper  and  McQuestion.  They  have 
been  trading  in  the  country  since  1873  and  have  occupied 
numerous  posts  all  along  the  river,  the  greater  number  of 
which  have  been  abandoned.  Mr.  Harper  is  now  located 
as  a  trader  at  Fort  Selkirk,  with  Mr.  Joseph  Ladue  under 
the  firm  name  of  Harper  &  Ladue,  and  Mr.  McQuestion  is 
in  the  employ  of  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company  at 
Circle  City,  which  is  the  distributing  point  for  the  vast 
regions  surrounding  Birch  Creek,  Alaska.  In  1882  a 
number  of  miners  entered  the  Yukon  country  by  the 
Taiya  Pass  ;  it  is  still  the  only  route  used  to  any  extent  by 
the  miners,  and  is  shorter  than  the  other  passes  though 
not  the  lowest.  In  1883  Lieutenant  Schwatka  crossed 
this  same  pass  and  descended  the  Lewes  and  Yukon 
Rivers  to  the  ocean. 

"  The  explorers  found  that  in  proximity  to  the  boundary 


^35-^3H 


le 


KLONbYKE  FACTS, 


line  there  existed  extensive  and  valuable  placer  gold  mines, 
in  which  even  then  as  man};  as  three  hundred  miners 
were  at  work.  Mr.  Ogilvie  determined,  by  a  series  of  lunar 
observations,  the  point  at  which  the  Yukon  Kiver  is  in- 
tersected by  the  141st  meridian,  and  marked  the  same  on 
the  ground.  He  also  determined  and  marked  the  point  at 
which  the  western  affluent  of  the  Yukon,  known  as  Forty 
Mile  Creek,  is  crossed  by  the  same  meridian  line,  that 
point  being  situated  at  a  distance  of  about  twenty-three 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  This  survey  proved 
that  the  place  which  had  been  selected  as  the  most  con- 
venient, owing  to  the  physic^al  conformation  of  the  region, 
from  which  to  distribute  the  supplies  imported  for  the 
various  mining  canijjs,  and  from  which  to  conduct  the 
other  business  incident  to  the  mining  operations — a  place 
situate  at  the  confluence  of  the  Forty  Mile  Creek  and  the 
Yukon,  and  to  which  the  name  of  P'ort  Cudahy  has  been 
given — is  well  within  Canadian  territory.  I'he  greater 
proportion  of  the  mines  then  being  worked  Mr.  Ogilvie 
found  to  be  on  the  Canadian  side  of  the  international 
boundary  line,  but  he  reported  the  existence  of  some  min- 
ing fields  to  the  south,  the  exact  position  of  which  with 
respect  to  the  boundun  he  did  not  have  the  opportunity 
to  fix.  / 

'*  The  nuni])cr  of  ])orsons  engaged  in  mining  in  the 
locality  mentioned  has  stead ilv  increased  v<?iir  bv  vcar  since 
the  date  of  Mr.  Ogilvic's  survey,  and  it  is  estimated  that  at 
the  commencement  of  tlic  past  season  not  less  than  one 
thousand  men  were  so  employed.  Incident  to  this  mineral 
development  there  must  follow  a  corresponding  growth  in 
the  volume  of  business  of  all  descriptions,  particularly  the 
importation  of  dutiable  goods,  and  the  occupation  of  tracts 
of  the  public  lands  for  mining  purposes  which  according 
to  the  mining  regulations  are  subject  to  the  payment  of 
certain  prescribed  dues  and  chargep.     The  Alaska  Com- 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


17 


mercial  Company,  for  many  years  subsequent  to  the  retire- 
ment of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  had  a  practical 
monopoly  of  the  trade  of  the  Yukon,  carrying  into  the 
country  and  delivering  t»,t  various  points  along  the  river, 
without  regard  to  the  intirnational  boundary  line  or  the 
customs  laws  and  regulations  of  Canada,  such  arti(;les  of 
commerce  as  were  required  for  the  prosecution  of  the  fur 
trade  and  latterly  of  placer  mining,  these  being  the  only 
two  existing  industries.  With  the  discovery  of  gold,  how- 
ever, came  the  organization  of  a  competing  company  known 
as  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trading  Com- 
pany, having  its  headquarters  in  Chicago  and  its  chief 
trading  and  distributing  post  at  Cudahy.  TMiis  compjiny 
has  been  engaged  in  this  trade  for  over  three  years,  and 
during  the  past  season  despatched  two  ocean  steamers 
from  San  Francisco  to  8t.  Michael,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yukon,  the  merchandise  from  which  was,  at  the  I'^st  men- 
tioned point,  transhipped  into  river  steamers  and  carried 
to  points  inland,  but  chiefly  to  the  company's  distributing 
centre  within  Canadian  territory.  Importations  of  con- 
siderable value,  consisting  of  the  immediately  requisite 
supplies  of  the  miners,  and  their  tools,  also  reach  the 
Canadian  portion  of  the  Yukon  District  from  Juneau,  in 
the  United  States,  by  way  of  the  Taiya  Inlet,  the  mountain 
passes,  and  the  chain  of  waterways  leading  therefrom  to 
Cudahy.  Upon  none  of  these  importations  had  any  duty 
been  collected,  except  a  sum  of  $;3,248.80  paid  to  Inspector 
Constantine  in  189-4,  by  the  North  American  Transporta- 
tion and  Trading  Company  and  others,  and  it  is  safe  to 
conclude,  especially  when  it  is  remembered  that  the  coun- 
try produces  none  of  the  articles  consumed  within  it  ex- 
cept fresh  meat,  that  a  large  revenue  was  being  lost  to 
the  public  exchequer  under  the  then  existing  conditions. 

"  For  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  officially  and  author- 
itatively the  condition  of  affairs  to  which  the  correspond- 


18 


KL ONI)  YKF  FA  CTS. 


enee  referred  to  in  tlie  next  preceding  puragnipli  relates, 
the  llononible  tlie  President  of  tlie  I'rivv  Council,  dur- 
ing  the  spring  of  ISIM,  despiitcrlied  Ins|)ector  (Muirles  Con- 
stantine,  of  the  Northwest  Moinited  Police  Force,  Jiccom- 
panied  by  Sergeant  lirown,  to  Fort  Ciuhdiy  and  the 
mining  camps  in  its  vicinity.  The  report  made  by  Mr. 
C'onstantine  on  liis  return,  estaldislicd  the  substantial 
accuracy  of  the  representations  idreatiy  referred  to.  The 
value  of  the  total  output  of  gold  for  the  season  of  1804  he 
estimated  at  l^aoCOOO. 

"  The  facts  recited  clearly  establish — first,  that  the  time 
had  arrived  when  it  became  the  duty  of  the  (iovernment 
of  Canada  to  make  more  efficient  i)rovisi()n  for  the  main- 
tenance of  order,  the  enforcement  of  the  laws,  and  the 
administration  of  justice  in  the  Yukon  country,  especially 
in  that  section  of  it  in  which  jilacer  mining  for  gold  is  be- 
ing prosecuted  upon  such  an  extensive  scale,  situated  near 
to  the  boundary  separating  the  Northwest  Territories  from 
the  possessions  of  the  United  States  in  Alaska ;  and, 
second,  that  while  such  measures  as  were  necessary  to  that 
end  were  called  for  in  the  interests  of  hunuinity,  and  par- 
ticularly for  the  security  and  safety  of  the  lives  and  property 
of  the  Canadian  subjects  of  Her  Majesty  resident  in  that 
country  who  are  engaged  in  legitimate  business  pursuits, 
it  was  evident  that  the  revenue  justly  due  to  the  Govern- 
ment of  Canada,  under  its  customs,  excise  and  land  laws, 
and  which  would  go  a  long  way  to  pay  the  expenses  of 
government,  was  being  lost  for  the  want  of  adequate 
machinery  for  its  collection. 

"Accordingly  in  June  last  a  detachment*  of  twenty 
members  of  the  Mounted  Police  Force  including  officers 

*The  detachment  was  made  up  as  follows  : — Inspector  C.  Con- 
stantine,  Officer  Commanding  Yukon  Detachment  N.  W.  M, 
Police  ;  Inspector,  D.  A.  E.  Strickland ;  Assistant  Surgeon,  A.  E, 
Wills ;  2  Staflf  Sergeants  ;  2  Corporals  ;  13  Constables. 


KLOSD  YKK  FA  CTS. 


19 


E. 


was  detailed  for  service  in  timt  jjortion  of  the  Xortlnvost 
Territories.  The  ottlcer  in  eonunaiul.  in  luklition  to  tlie 
nuigisteriul  and  otlier  chities  lie  is  reciuired  to  i)erforni  by 
virtue  of  hisotlice  and  under  instructions  from  tlie  ])cj)art- 
ment  of  Mounted  Police,  was  duly  authorized  to  represent 
wliere  necessary,  and  until  other  arrangements  can  he 
made,  all  the  departments  of  the  government  having  in- 
terests in  that  region.  Particularly  he  is  authorized  to 
perform  the  duties  of  Dominion  lands  agent,  collector  of 
customs,  and  collector  of  iidand  revenue.  At  the  same 
time  instructions  were  given  Mr.  William  Ogilvie,  the  sur- 
veyor referred  to  as  having,  with  Dr.  Dawson,  been  en- 
trusted with  the  conduct  of  the  llrst  government  expedi- 
tion to  the  Yukon,  to  proceed  again  to  that  district  for  the 
purpose  of  continuing  and  extending  the  work  of  deter- 
mining the  l-ilst  meridian,  of  laying  out  building  lots  aiul 
mining  claims,  and  g«.n  rally  of  2)erforming  such  duties  as 
may  be  entrusted  to  him  from  time  to  time.  Mr.  Ogilvie's 
qualifications  as  a  surveyor,  and  his  previous  experience 
as  explorer  of  this  section  of  the  Northwest,  peculiarly  fit 
him  for  the  task. 

"  As  it  a])pcars  quite  certain,  from  the  report  made  by 
Mr.  Ogilvie  on  his  return  to  Ottawa,  in  1880,  and  from 
the  report  of  ]\rr.  Constantine,  that  the  o^jcrations  of  the 
nuners  are  being  conducted  upon  streams  which  have  their 
sources  in  the  United  States  'J'erritory  of  Alaska,  and  ilow 
into  Canada  on  their  way  to  join  the  Yukon,  and  as  doi''""- 
less  some  of  the  placer  diggings  under  development  are 
situated  on  the  United  States  side  of  the  boundary  it  is 
highly  desirable,  both  for  the  puri^ose  of  settling  definitely 
to  which  country  any  land  occupied  for  mining  or  other 
purposes  actually  belongs,  and  in  order  that  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  courts  and  officers  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,  for  both  civil  and  criminal  purposes,  may  be  estab- 
lished, that  the  determination  of  the  l-llst  meridian  west 


20 


KLOSDYKK  FACTS. 


of  (ircenwich  from  the  point  of  its  intersection  with  tlie 
Yukon,  as  rnaria'd  by  Mr.  Ogilvio  in  1887-88,  for  ii  con- 
sidonible  distance  south  of  the  river,  and  possibly  also  for 
some  distance  to  the  north,  should  be  proceeded  with  at 
once.  Mr.  Oj^ilvie's  instructions  recjuirc  him  to  ^o  on  with 
the  survey  with  all  convenient  speed,  l)ut  in  order  that  this 
work  may  be  elfeotive  for  the  accomplislunent  of  the  object 
in  view  the  co-operation  of  the  (fovernment  of  the  rnitc<l 
States  is  necessary.  Correspondence  is  in  ])rof;ress  tlironijh 
the  proper  authorities  with  a  view  to  obtaining  this  co- 
operation. It  may  be  mentioned  that  a  United  States 
surveyor  has  also  determined  the  points  at  which  the 
Yukon  River  and  Forty  Mile  Creek  are  intersected  by  the 
Hat  meridian." 


I 


KLONDYKK  FACTS. 


21 


(niAPTER  II. 

ROITES,   DISTAXCHS,    AND   TU  A  NSPOKTATION. 

After  oonsiflonible  oxporiciu'o  I  liave  decided  that  the 
best  route  for  a  iiiau  to  take  to  tlie  ^^)ld  re<,Mons  is  from 
Seattle,  AVasliington,  to  Juneau,  Ahiska,  and  tiien  to  Daw- 
son City,  hy  tlie  i)ass  and  waterways,  and  I  will  therefore 
describe  this  route  more  in  detail  than  any  of  the  others. 

I  am  devoting  a  special  chapter  to  the  outfit  for  travellers, 
and  will  therefore  deal  in  this  chapter  witli  the  route  onlv. 

The  traveller  having  paid  his  fare  to  Seattle  should 
on  arrival  there  have  not  less  tiian  ^bW).  This  "s  the 
minimum  sum  necessary  to  pay  his  fare  from  Seattle  to 
Juneau,  purchase  his  outfit  and  supplies  for  one  year  and 
pay  his  necessary  expenses  in  the  gold  region  for  that  length 
of  time. 

I  think  it  deplorable  that  so  many  are  starting  at  this  time 
for  the  gold-lields.  I  do  not  recommend  starting  before 
March  15.  I  will  return  at  that  time  to  my  claims  on  the 
Klondykc,  if  it  were  wise  to  go  sooner,  I  should  certainly 

go. 

Tlie  reason  March  15  is  best  is  that  the  season  is  better 

then.  If  a  man  has  only,  say,  $500  and  wants  to  do  his 
own  packing  over  the  Taiya  Pass,  it  gives  him  time  to  do  it 
by  starting  March  15,  as  he  will  then  be  in  Juneau  April 
1st.  I  fear  a  great  dral  of  hardship  for  those  who  started 
out  so  as  to  reach  Juneau  for  winter  travel. 

Of  course  while  I  say  $500  is  sufficient  to  go  to  Daw- 
son City,  a  man  should  take  $1,000  or  even  more  if  pos- 


22 


K  L  OS  I)  YKE  FA  CTS. 


nihlc  Jis  lie  will  liiive  many  opportunities  to  invest  the 
surplus. 

AVhile  })rl<'es  will  undoubtedly  Jidvance  at  Dawson  CJity 
owing  to  the  lar<:;e  influx  of  ])('o})le,  1  do  not  think  the  ad- 
vance will  be  excessive.  It  has  never  been  tin;  policy  of 
the  two  trading  companies  to  lake  advantage  of  the  miners. 

The  traveller  Juiviiig  arrived  in  .luiieau  from  Seattle,  a 
journey  of  7^5  miles  by  water,  immediately  j)ur(diases  his 
complete  outlit  as  described  in  another  chapter.  He  tben 
loses  no  time  in  leaving  Juiu'au  for  Dyea,  taking  a.  ^mall 
8teand)()at  wbich  runs  regularly  to  this  port  via  the  Lynn 
Camd.  Dyea  has  recently  been  made  a  customs  port  of 
entry  and  tln^  head  of  navigation  this  side  of  the  Taiya 
Pass.  The  distance  between  Juneau  and  Dyea  is  about  one 
hundred  mih's. 

From  Dyea,  which  is  the  timber-line,  he  ])a('ks  his  outfit 
to  the  foot  of  the  Taiya  Pass — the  length  of  which  to  the 
summit  is  nbout  15  miles.  He  must  now  carry  his  outfit 
up  the  Pass,  M'hich  he  generally  does  in  two  or  more  tri})s 
according  to  the  weight  of  his  outfit,  unless  he  is  able 
hire  Indians  or  mules  ;  but  so  far  there  are  very  few  to 
Indians  to  be  hired  and  still  fewer  mules. 

He  now  starts  for  Lake  Lindeman  from  the  head  of  the 
Pass,  a  distance  of  eight  miles — the  distance  from  Dvea  to 
Lake  Lindeman  being  ',]]  miles. 

At  Lake  Tjindeimi'i  he  eommences  to  make  his  boat,  for 
which  he  has  brought  tlie  [)roper  suj)plies  in  his  outlit, 
with  the  exception  of  the  timber,  which  he  finds  at  Lake 
Lindeman.  lie  spends  one  week  at  Lake  Lindeman  mak- 
ing his  boat  and  getting  ready  for  the  long  trij)  down  the 
waterways  to  Dawson  City,  the  heart  of  the  Klondyke  re- 
gion. T!»e  trip  through  Lake  Lindeman  is  short,  the 
lake  being  onlv  five  miles  long.  At  the  foot  of  the  lake 
he  must  portage  to  Lake  Bennet,  the  portage  however  be- 
ing very  short,  less  than  a  mile. 


KL  ON  I)  YK  K  FA  (  :TH. 


Lake  Honnot  is  1^8  inik's  long,  whik'  going  through  this 
hike  tlie  traveller  crosses  the  boundary  l)etween  British 
Cohimbia  and  the  Northwest  Territory. 

After  going  down  liake  liennet  the  traveller  comes  to 
Caribou  Crossing — about  four  miles  long,  which  takes  him 
to  Lake  'iVgish,  twenty  miles  in  length.  After  leaving 
Tagish  he  finds  lumself  'u\  Miu\  or  Marsh  Lake,  5i4  miles 
long,  then  into  the  Lynx  juver,  on  which  he  continues  for 
27  miles  till  lie  conies  to  Miles  Canyon,  five-eighths  of  a 
mile  long. 

Lnnied lately  on  leaving  ^Files  Canyon  he  has  three  miles 
of  what  is  called  bad  river  work,  whi(;h,  while  not  liazard- 
ous,  is  dangerous  from  the  swift  current  and  from  being 
very  rocky.  Great  care  luis  to  be  taken  in  going  down  this 
part  of  the  river. 

He  now  finds  himself  in  Wliito  Horse  Can}'un  the  rapids 
of  which  are  three-eighths  of  a  mile  in  length  and  one  of 
the  most  dangerous  places  on  the  trip,  a  man  is  here 
guarded  by  a  sign,  "^  Keep  a  good  lookout." 

No  stranger  'u-  novice  should  try  to  run  the  White  Horse 
Rapids  alone  in  a  boat.  He  should  let  his  boat  drop  down 
the  river  guided  by  a  rope  with  which  he  has  provided 
himself  in  his  outlit  ami  which  should  be  l-"30  feet  long. 
It  would  be  better  if  the  traveller  should  portage  here,  the 
miners  having  constructed  a  portage  road  on  tlie  west  side 
and  put  down  r:)ller-ways  in  some  places  on  which  they 
roll  their  boats  over,  'i'hey  have  also  made  some  wind- 
lasses with  which  they  ha,ul  their  l)oat  up  the  hill  till  they 
are  at  the  foot  of  the  canyon.  The  White  Horse  Canvon 
is  very  rocky  and  dangerous  and  the  current  ..xtremely 
swift. 

After  leading  the  AVliite  Horse  Canyon  he  goes  down  the 
river  to  the  head  of  Lake  Labarge,  a  distance  of  14  miles. 
He  can  ^it  down  and  steer  with  the  '"urrent,  as  he  is  going 
down  the  stream  all  the  Avay.     It  is  for  this  reason  that  in 


24 


KL OND  YKE  FA  CTS. 


1) 


returning  from  the  diggings  he  sliould  t;ike  another  route, 
of  whicli  lie  will  get  full  particulars  before  leaving  Dawson  ; 
therefore  I  do  not  take  the  time  to  give  a  full  description 
of  the  return  trip  via  the  Yukon  to  St.  Michael,  lie  now 
goes  through  Lake  Labarge — for  31  miles — till  he  strikes 
the  Lewes  River,  this  taking  him  down  to  llootalinqua. 
He  is  now  in  the  Lewes  Kiver  which  takes  him  for  25  miles 
to  Big  Salmon  River  and  from  Big  Salmon  River  45  miles 
to  Little  Salmon  River — the  current  all  this  time  taking 
him  down  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour.  Of  course  in 
the  canyons  it  is  very  much  swifter. 

The  Little  Salmon  River  takes  him  to  Five  Finger 
Rapids,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles.  lu 
the  Five  Finger  Rajuds  the  voyage  should  be  made  on  the 
right  side  of  the  river,  going  with  the  current.  These 
rapids  are  considered  safe  by  careful  management,  but  the 
novice  will  already  have  had  sufiicient  experience  in  guid- 
ing his  boat  before  reaching  them. 

From  Five  Finger  Ra2)ids  the  traveller  goes  six  miles 
below,  down  tlie  Lewes,  to  the  Rink  Rapids.  On  going 
through  the  ]{ink  Rapids,  he  continues  on  the  Lewes  River 
to  Fort  Selkirk,  the  trading  post  of  Harper  and  Ladue, 
where  the  Pelly  and  Lewes,  at  their  junction,  form  th  ■ 
headwaters  of  the  Yukon.  You  are  now  at  the  head  of 
the  Yukon  River,  and  the  worst  part  of  your  trip  is  over. 

You  now  commence  to  go  down  the  Yukon,  and  after  a 
trip  of  ninety-eight  miles,  you  are  in  the  White  River. 
You  keep  on  the  AVhite  River  for  ten  miles,  to  the  Stewart 
River,  and  then  twenty-five  miles  to  Fort  Ogilvie.  You 
are  now  only  forty  miles  from  Dawson  City. 

Your  journey  is  now  almost  ended.  After  a  forty-mile 
trip  on  the  Yukon,  you  arrive  at  Dawson  City,  where  the 
Klondyke  empties  in  the  Yukon. 

All  through  this  trip  you  have  been  going  through  a 
mountainous  country,  the  trees  there  being  pine,  a  small 


i 


KL  ONT)  YKE  FA  CTS. 


25 


amount  of  spruce,  eottouwood  and  birch.  You  liave  not 
seen  much  game,  if  any,  as  it  is  growing  scarce  along  that 
line  of  river,  and  very  hard  to  find.  The  traveller  had 
therefore  better  make  preparation  to  depend  on  the  pro- 
visions he  has  brought  with  him.  If  ho  has  stopped  to 
fish,  lie  may  have  been  successful  in  catching  whitefish, 
grayling  and  lake  trout,  along  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

The  total  journey  from  Seattle  to  Dawson  City  lias  taken 
about  two  months.  In  connection  with  this  trip  from 
Juneau  to  Dawson  City,  it  is  perhaps  better  to  give  the 
reader  the  benefit  of  the  trip  of  Mr.  William  Stewart, 
who  writes  from  Lake  Lindeman,  May  31st,  189T,  as  fol- 
lows : — 

'MVe  arrived  here  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake  last  night 
by  boat.  We  have  had  an  awful  time  of  it.  The  Taiya 
Pass  is  not  a  ])ass  at  all,  but  a  climb  right  over  the  moun- 
tains. We  left  Juneau  on  Thursday,  the  twentieth,  on 
a  little  boat  smaller  than  the  ferrv  at  Ottawa.  There  were 
over  sixty  aboard,  all  in  one  room  about  ten  by  fourteci},. 
There  was  baggage  piled  up  in  one  end  so  that  the  floor- 
space  was  only  about  eight  by  eight.  We  went  aboard 
about  three  o^clock  in  the  afternoon  and  Avent  ashore  at 
Dyea  at  seven  o'clock  Friday  night.  We  got  the  Indians 
to  pack  all  our  stuff  ujd  to  the  summit,  but  about  fifty 
pounds  e:icli  ;  I  had  forty-eight  pounds  and  my  gun. 

*'  We  left  Dyea,  an  Indian  village,  Sunday,  but  only  got 
up  the  river  one  mile.  We  towed  all  the  stuff  up  the 
river  seven  miles,  and  then  packed  it  to  Sheep  Camp. 
We  roi^i-ed  Sheep  Camp  about  seven  o'clock  at  night, 
or.  tl'L"  Q^'«^>^n's  Ijirthday.  A  beautiful  time  we  had,  I  can 
tell  you,  cUnhjng  hills  with  fifty  pounds  on  our  backs. 
It  would  not  be  ^5^)  i^.j^jj  jf  ^^tq  could  strap  it  on  rightlv. 

'<A\e  left  bne-,p  Camp  next  morning  at  four  o'clock, 
and  reached  the  -^^mmit  at  half-past  seven.  It  Avas  an 
awful  climb— an  any,   ^f  ^^^^^   fifty-five  degrees.     W« 


V 


26 


ELONDYKE  FACTS. 


I 


could  keep  our  hands  touching  the  trail  all  the  way  up. 
It  was  blowing  and  snowing  up  there.  "We  paid  oif  the 
Indians,  and  got  some  sleighs  and  sleighed  the  stuff  down 
the  hill.  This  hill  goes  down  pretty  swift,  aiul  then  drops 
at  an  angle  of  fifty-five  degrees  for  about  forty  feet,  and 
we  had  to  rough-lock  our  sleighs  and  let  them  go.  There 
was  an  awful  fog,  and  we  could  not  see  where  we  were 
going.  Some  fellows  helped  us  down  with  tlie  first  load, 
or  there  would  have  been  nothing  left  of  us.  When  avo 
let  a  sleigh  go  from  the  top  it  jumps  about  fifty  feet  clear, 
and  comes  down  in  pieces.  We  loaded  up  the  sleighs  with 
some  of  our  stuff,  about  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
pounds  each,  and  started  across  the  lakes.  The  trail  was 
awful,  and  we  Avaded  through  Avater  and  slush  tAvo  and 
three  feet  deep.  AVe  got  to  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  at 
about  eight  o'clock  at  night,  done  out.  We  loft  there  that 
night,  and  pushed  on  again  until  morning.  We  got  to 
the  bottom  of  an  awful  hill,  and  packed  all  our  stuff  from 
tliere  to  the  hill  above  the  hdvc.  We  had  al)()ut  two  and 
a  half  milcj  over  hills,  in  snoAV  and  slush.  I  carried  about 
five  hundred  pouiuls  over  that  part  of  the  trail.  We  had 
to  get  dogs  to  bring  the  stuff  doAvn  from  tlie  summit  to 
the  head  of  the  canyon. 

We  worked  two  days  bringing  the  stuff  over  from  the 
canyon  to  the  hill  above  the  lake.  Saturday  avc  worked  all 
day  packing  doAvn  the  hill  to  the  lake,  and  came  here  on 
a  scoAV.  We  were  out  yesterday  morning  cutting  down 
trees  to  build  a  boat.  The  timl)er  is  snudl,  and  I  don't 
think  Ave  can  get  more  than  four-inch  stuff.  It  valued  all 
afternoon,  and  Ave  couldn't  do  anything.  There  arc  about 
fifty  boats  of  all  sorts  on  Lake  Bcnnet,  Avhich  is  about  half 
a  mile  from  here.  I  have  long  rubber  boot'-  up  to  tlie  hips, 
and  I  did  not  have  them  on  coming  from  the  summit  down, 
but  I  have  Avorn  them  ever  since. 

We  met  BarAvell  and  LcAvis,  of  OttaAva,  to-day.     They 


KL OND  YKE  FA  CTS. 


27 


1 


were  out  looking  for  knoos  for  their  boats.  They  left 
Ottawa  six  weeks  ago,  and  have  not  got  any  farther  tliaii 
we  have.  There  was  a  little  saw-mill  going  here,  and  tlicy 
have  their  lumber  sawn.  We  have  it  that  Avarm  somedavs 
here  that  you  would  fairly  roast,  and  the  next  day  you 
would  be  looking  for  your  overcoat.  Everybody  here 
seems  to  be  taking  in  enough  food  to  do  them  a  couple  of 
years. 

We  arc  now  in  Canadian  territory,  after  Ave  passed  tlio 
summit.  I  Avill  have  to  catch  somebody  going  through  to 
Dyea  to  give  him  this  letter,  but  I  don't  know  Iioav  long 
before  I  can  get  any  one  going  through.  This  is  the  last 
you  Avill  hear  from  me  until  I  get  down  to  the  Klon- 
dyke." 

Mr.  StcAvart  adds  :  ''  I  Avrote  this  in  the  tent  at  11  o'clock 
at  night  during  twilight." 

If  you  take  this  trip  in  winter,  hoAvever,  you  have  to  pur- 
chase a  sled  at  Juneau,  aiul  sled  it  over  the  frozen  Avater- 
Avays  to  DaAvson  City. 

For  the  benefit  of  my  readers  in  Canada  and  for  parties 
leaving  for  the  great  Northwest  Territory  for  the  gold  fields, 
I  take  pleasure  in  quoting  t))e  following  description  of  a 
Canadian  route  : — 


\ 


'K*anadians  should  aAvaken  to  the  fact  that  they  have 
emphatically  '  the  inside  track '  to  their  OAvn  gold  liekls, 
a  route  not  half  the  distance,  largely  covered  by  railways 
and  stcandjoats,  Avith  supply  stations  at  convenient  inter- 
vals all  the  Avay.  l^y  this  route  the  gold-fields  can  be 
reached  in  two  months  or  six  Aveeks,  and  tlie  cost  of  travel 
is  ridiculously  cheap — nearly  anybody  can  afford  to  go  even 
now,  and  l)y  the  s})ring  it  should  be  fitted  out  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  any  amount  of  traffic. 

The  details  of  the  information  in  the  following  article 
are  given  by  Mr.  A.  II.  II.  lleming,  the  artist   Avho  ac- 


28  KLONhYKE  FACTS. 

companied  Mr.  Whitney  in  his  journey  towards  the  Barren 
Lands,  and  tlie  data  may  be  accepted  as  correct,  as  they 
were  secured  from  tlie  Hudson  Bay  officials. 

The  details  of  the  inland  Canadian  route,  briefly,  are  as 
follows  :  By  C.  P.  R.  to  Calgary,  and  thence  north  by 
rail  to  Edmonton  ;  from  there  by  stage  to  Athabasca  Land- 
ing, 40  miles  ;  then,  there  is  a  continuous  waterway  for 
canoe  travel  to  Fort  Macpherson,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Ma(;kenzie  Kiver,  from  which  point  the  Peel  River  lies 
southward  to  the  gold  region.  The  exact  figures  are  as 
follows  : 

MILKS. 

Edmonton  to  Athabasca  Landing 40 

To  Fort  McMurray '^40 

Fort  Chippewyan 185 

Smith    Jjanding 102 

Fort  Smith 1(3 

Fort  Resolution   11)4 

Fort  Providence UiS 

Fort  Simpson 1  (il 

Fort  Wrigley   i:J6 

Fort  Norman   184 

Fort  Good  Hope 1 74 

Fort  Macpherson 'iS'Z 

Total 1882 

There  are  only  two  portages  on  this  route  of  any  size — 
that  from  Edmonton  to  Athabasca  Landing,  over  which 
there  is  a  stage  and  wagon  line,  and  at  Smith  Landing,  six- 
teen miles,  over  which  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  has  a  tram- 
way. There  are  four  or  five  other  portages  of  a  few  hun- 
dred yards,  but  with  these  exceptions  there  is  a  fine  '*  down 
grade"  water  route  all  the  way.  It  is  the  old  Hudson 
Bay  trunk  line  to  the  north  that  has  been  in  use  for  nearly 


1 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


29 


). 


'  f " 


a  century.  Wherever  there  is  si  hike  or  a  long  stretch  of 
deep  water  river  navigation  the  company  has  small  freight 
steamers  which  ply  back  and  forward  during  tlic  summer 
between  the  portage  points  or  shallows.  With  compara- 
tively little  expenditure  tlic  company  or  the  Government 
can  improve  the  facilities  along  the  line  so  that  any  amount 
of  freight  or  any  number  of  passengers  can  be  taken  into 
the  gold  region  at  less  than  half  the  time  and  cost  that  it 
takes  Americans  to  reach  it  from  Port  St.  Michael,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Yukon  to  the  Klondyke,  exclusive  of  the 
steamer  trip  of  ;^.jOO  miles  from  Seattle  to  Port  St. 
Michael. 

Canadians  can  leave  here  on  a  Monday  at  11.15  a.m., 
and  reach  Edmonton  on  Friday  at  7  p.m.  From  that 
point,  a  party  of  three  men  with  a  canoe,  should  reach  Fort 
Macpherson  easily  in  from  50  to  00  days,  provided  they 
are  able-bodied  young  fellows  with  experience  in  tluit  sort 
of  travel.  They  will  need  to  take  canoes  from  here,  unless 
they  propose  to  hire  Indians  with  large  birch  bark  canoes 
to  carry  them.  Birch  bark  canoes  can  be  secured  of  any 
size  up  to  the  big  ones  nuinncd  by  ten  Iiulians  that  carry 
three  tons.  But  birch  barks  are  not  reliable  unless  Indians 
are  taken  along  to  doctor  them,  and  keep  them  from  get- 
ting water-logged.  The  Hudson  Bay  Company  will  also 
contract  to  take  freight  northward  on  their  steamers  until 
the  close  of  luivigation.  Travellers  to  the  gold  mines 
leaving  now  would  jirobably  reach  Fort  Macpherson  before 
navigation  closed. 

The  letter  from  Rev.  Mr.  Stringer,  the  missionary,  pub- 
lished in  the  Spectator  on  July  2,  shows  that  the  ice  had 
only  commenced  to  run  in  the  Peel  Kiver,  which  is  the 
water  route  south-east  from  Fort  Macpherson  into  the  gold 
region,  on  September  30  last  year. 

Any  Canadians  who  are  anxious  to  get  into  the  Klon- 
dyke ahead  of  the  Americans  can  leave  between  now  and 


r  I 


30 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


August  1,  roaoli  Fort  Macpherson,  and  if  winter  comes  on 
they  can  exchange  tlieir  canoes  for  dog  trains,  and  reach 
the  Klondvke  witliout  half  tlie  difiicultv  that  would  be 
experienced  on  tlie  Alaska  route.  The  great  advantage  of 
the  iidand  route  is  that  it  is  an  organized  line  of  communi- 
cation. Travellers  need  not  carry  any  more  food  than 
will  take  them  from  one  Hudson  Bay  post  to  the  next,  and 
then  there  is  abundance  of  fish  aiul  wild  fowl  en  route. 
They  can  also  be  in  touch  with  such  civilization  as  prevails 
up  there,  can  always  get  assistance  at  the  posts,  and  will 
have  some  place  to  stay  should  they  fall  sick  or  meet  with 
an  accident.  If  they  are  lucky  enough  to  make  their  pile 
in  the  Kloiulyke,  they  can  come  back  by  the  dog  sled 
route  during  the  winter.  (There  is  one  winter  mail  to 
Fort  ]\[a('pherson  in  wiiUer.)  Dogs  for  teams  can  be  pur- 
chased at  nearly  any  of  the  line  of  Hudson  Bay  posts  that 
form  a  chain  of  road-houses  on  the  trip. 

Parties  travelling  alone  will  not  need  to  employ  guides 
until  they  get  near  Fort  Macpherson,  and  from  there  on 
to  the  Klondyke,  as  the  rest  of  the  route  from  Edmonton 
is  so  well  defined,  having  been  travelled  for  years,  that  no 
guides  are  re({uired. 

You  don't  need  a  couple  of  thousand  dollars  to  start  for 
Klondyke  to-morrow  by  the  Edmonton  route.  All  you 
need  is  a  good  constitution,  some  experience  in  boating 
and  camping,  and  about  $150.  Suppose  a  party  of  three 
decide  to  start.  First  they  will  ncea  to  purchase  a  canoe, 
about  $35  or  less  ;  first-class  ticket  from  Hamilton  to  Ed- 
monton, $71.40  ;  second  class,  ditto,  $40.90  ;  cost  of  food 
at  Edmonton  for  three  men  for  two  months  (should  consist 
of  pork,  flour,  tea  and  baking-powder),  $35  ;  freight  on 
canoe  to  Edmonton,  $;23.  Total  for  three  men  from  Ham- 
ilton to  Fort  Macpherson,  provided  they  travel  second- 
class  on  the  G.  P.  R.  will  be  $'^18.70.  These  figures  are 
furnished  by  Mr.  Heming,  Avho  has  been  over  the  route 


KL  ONh  YKE  FA  CTS. 


31 


400  miles  north  of  E<lnu>iiton,  and  got  the  rest  of  his  data 
from  the  Hudson  Bay  oflicials. 

If  tlireo  Mien  cliip  in  ^150  each  they  wouhl  liave  a  mar- 
gin of  over  $:200  for  purcliasing  tlieir  tools  and  for  trans- 
port from  Fort  Maepherson  to  the  Klondyke.  This  is  how 
it  may  be  done  on  the  cheap,  ihough  Mr.  Ileming  con- 
siders it  ample  for  any  party  starting  this  summer.  Prices 
will  likely  rise  on  the  route  when  the  rush  begins.  If  the 
Hudson  Bay  people  are  alive  to  their  interests  they  will 
forward  a  largo  amount  of  supplies  for  Fort  Macpherson 
immediately  and  make  it  the  base  of  supjdies  for  the  Klon- 
dyke during  the  coming  winter. 

Parties  should  consist  of  three  men  each,  as  that  is  the 
cre^T  of  a  canoe.  It  will  take  (!()0  pounds  of  food  to  carry 
three  men  over  the  route.  Passengers  on  the  C.  P.  R. 
are  entitled  to  carry  GOO  pounds  of  baggage.  The  paddling 
is  all  down  stream,  except  when  they  turn  south  up  Peel 
Kiver,  and  sails  should  be  taken,  as  there  is  often  a  favor- 
able wind  for  davs. 

There  are  large  scows  on  the  line,  manned  by  ten  men 
each  and  known  as  '  sturgeon  heads.''  They  are  like 
canal  boats,  l)ut  are  punted  along  and  arc  used  by  the 
Hudson  Bay  people  for  taking  forward  supi:)lies  to  the 
forts. 

The  return  trip  to  the  United  States  is  usually  made 
by  the  Yukon  steamers  from  Dawson  City  direct  to  St. 
Michael  via  the  Yukon  and  Anvik  Kiver,  thence  by  ocean 
steamer  from  St.  Michael  to  San  Francisco." 

The  following  letter  is  interesting  to  the  prospector  as 
showing  the  difficulties  to  overcome  up  the  Taiya  Pass  to 
Lake  Lindeman. 

Winnipeg,  July  27,  1897. 
A  letter  has  been  received  from  George  McLeod,  one  of 
the  members  of  the  "Winnipeg  party  of  gold  hunters  that 


32 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


left  liere  recently  for  the  Yukon,  lie  wrote  from  Lake 
Lindcman  under  date  of  July  4,  iind  states  that  the  party 
expected  to  leave  on  the  journey  from  the  river  a  week 
later.  They  had  a  fine  boat,  with  a  freight  capacity  of 
two  tons  about  completed.  The  real  work  of  the  expedi- 
tion started  when  the  small  steamer  which  conveyed  the 
party  from  Juneau  arrived  at  Dyea.  The  men  had  to 
transfer  their  goods  to  a  lighter  one  mile  from  shore,  each 
man  looking  after  his  own  packages.  After  getting  every- 
thing ashore  the  party  was  organized  for  ascent  of  the 
mountain  pass,  which  at  the  hardest  point  is  3,000  feet 
above  sea  level.  McLeod  and  his  chum,  to  save  time  and 
money  too,  engaged  35  Indians  to  pack  their  supplies 
over  the  mountains,  but  they  had  to  carry  their  own  bed- 
ding and  grub  to  keep  them  on  the  road.  It  is  fifteen 
miles  to  the  summit  of  the  pass  and  the  party  made  twelve 
miles  the  first  day,  going  into  camp  at  night  tired  from 
climbing  over  rocks,  stumps,  logs  and  hills,  working 
through  rivers  and  creeks  and  pusiiing  their  way  through 
brush.  At  the  end  of  twelve  miles  they  thought  they  had 
gone  fifty.  On  the  second  day  out  they  began  to  scale  the 
summit  of  the  mountain.  Hill  after  hill  confronted  them, 
each  one  being  steeper  than  the  last.  There  was  snow  on 
the  top  of  the  mountain,  and  rain  was  falling,  and  this  added 
greatly  to  the  difficulties  of  the  ascent.  In  many  places 
the  men  had  to  crawl  on  their  hands  and  knees,  so  pre- 
cipitous was  the  mountain  side.  Time  after  time  the  men 
would  slip  back  several  inches,  but  they  recovered  them- 
selves and  went  at  it  again. 

Finally,  the  summit  was  gained,  McLeod  being  the  first 
of  the  party  to  reach  the  top.  After  resting  and  chang- 
ing their  clothes  the  descent  was  commenced.  McLeod 
and  his  chums  purchased  sleighs,  on  Avhich  they  loaded 
their  goods  and  hauled  for  five  miles.  This  was  extremely 
laborious  work,  and  the  men  were  so  used  up  working  in 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


88 


the  scorching  sun  tluit  tliey  wore  coTupelled  to  work  at 
nights  and  sleep  during  tlie  day.  Two  days  after  tlie  de- 
scent began  tlie  sleighs  were  abandoned,  and  the  men 
packed  the  goods  for  three  miles  and  a  half.  They  were 
fortunate  in  securing  the  services  of  a  man  who  had  two 
horses  to  convey  the  goods  to  Lake  Lindeman. 

McLeod  says  the  worry  in  getting  over  the  pass  is  terri- 
ble, and  he  has  no  desire  to  repeat  the  experience.  lie 
advises  all  who  go  in  to  have  tlicir  goods  packed  all  the 
way  from  Dyea  to  Lake  Lindeman.  It  costs  17  or  18 
cents  })er  i>ound  for  packing. 

McLeod  expected  that  Klondyke  would  not  be  reached 
before  July  25. 

I  think  it  specially  valuable  for  the  reader  to  give  him 
the  approximate  distances  to  Fort  Cudahy,  which  is  below 
Dawson  City  via  the  various  routes. 

This  table  of  distances  has  been  prepared  by  Mr.  James 
Ogilvie,  and  I  also  give  a  number  of  his  notes  which  will 
be  of  great  value  to  the  traveller  when  making  the  trip 
from  Juneau  to  Dawson  Citv. 


APPROXIMATE  DISTANCES  TO  FORT  CUDAHY. 

VIA  ST.   MICHAEL. 

Miles 

San  Francisco  to  Dutch  Harbor 2,400 

Seattle  or  Victoria  to  Dutch  Harbor 2,000 

Dutch  Harbor  to  St.  Michael 750 

St.  Michael  to  Cudahy 1,600 

VIA  TAIYA   PASS. 

Victoria  to  Taiya 1,000 

Taiya  to  Cudahy 650 

VIA  STIKINE  RIVER. 

Victoria  to  Wrangell 750 

Wrangell  to  Telegraph  Creek 150 

Telegraph  Creek  to  Teslin  Lake 150 

Teslin  Lake  to  Cudahv 65Q 

3 


84  KLOSJJYKE  FACTiS. 

WSTANCKS  FROM   HEAD  OP  TAIYA    INLET. 

MIIm. 

Head  of  (iaiioo  navigation,  Taiya  Rivor r)lM) 

Forks  of  Taiya  River «;W 

Summit  of  Taiya  Pass 14'76 

Landing  at  J^alie  Lindcman ...  ;>;500 

Fo(»t  of  I^akc  JJndcman !27'41) 

Head  of.  Lake  Bennet L'H()9 

Houndary  lino  R  C.  and  N.  W.  T.  (I^it  ()()°) Wm 

Foot  of  Lako  Bonnet 5;{8r) 

Foot  of  ( 'aribou  Crossing  (I^iko  Naros) 56*44 

Foot  of  Tagisli  I^ike 7:}-2r) 

Head  of  I\Iarsh  Lake 7815 

Foot  of  aiarsh  Lake 9721 

Head  of  Miles  Canon 123-94 

Foot  of  Miles  Canon 12.'l-56 

Head  of  White  Horse  Rapids 124'95 

Foot  of  White  Horse  Rapids 125-33 

Tahkeena  River 139-92 

Head  of  Lake  Labarge 15;}-07 

Foot  of  Lako  Labarge ...  184-22 

Teslintoo  River 215-88 

Big  Salmon  River 249-33 

Little  Salmon  River 285-54 

Five  Finger  Rapids 344-83 

Pelly  River 403.29 

White  River 499-11 

Stewart  River 508-91 

Sixty-Mile  Creek 530-41 

Dawson  City— The  Principal  Mining  Town 575-70 

Fort  Reliance 582-20 

Forty -Mile  River 627-08 

Boundary  Line 667-43 

''  Another  route  is  now  being  explored  between  Telegraph 
Creek  and  Teslin  Lake  and  will  soon  be  opene/i.  Telegraph 
Creek  is  the  head  of  steamer  navigation  on  the  Stikine 
Kiver  and  is   about   150   miles   from   Teslin  Lake.     The 

Yukon  is  navigable  for  steamers  from  its  mouth  to  Teslin 
Lake,  a  distance  of  2,300  miles.    A  road  is  being  located 


)h 
)h 


K  ION  DYKE  FACTS. 


35 


I 


by  tlie  I)(miiiii()ii  (Jovonimcnt.  A  trnrnt  of  i«<v*,()(M)  has 
Ix'on  rmulo  l)y  tlic  province  ol  Jirilish  Coluiiihiii  for  opcii- 
iiij(  it. 

*' J.  Daltoii,  II  Lradcr,  lias  used  a  route  overland  from 
Chilkat  Inlet  to  Fort  Selkirk,  doing  up  the  (,'liilkat  and 
Klaiieela  Kivers,  lie  crosses  the  divide  to  the  Tahkeena 
River  and  continues  northward  over  a  fairly  open  (country 
practicable  for  horses.  The  distance  from  the  sea  to  Fort 
Selkirk  is  XA)  miles. 

*'  Last  summer  a  Juneau  l)utcher  sent40  head  of  cattle  to 
Cudahy.  (J.  Bounds,  the  man  in  charge,  crossed  the  di- 
vide over  the  Chilkat  Pass,  followed  the  shore  of  Lake  Ar- 
kell  and,  keeping  to  the  east  of  Dalton's  trail,  reached  the 
Yukon  just  below  the  Kink  liapids.  Here  the  cattle  were 
slaughtercfl  and  the  meat  floated  down  on  a  raft  to  Cudahy, 
where  it  retailed  at  ^l  a  pound. 

''  It  is  i)roj)osed  to  estnMish  a  winter  road  somewhere  across 
tlie  country  travelled  over  by  Dalton  and  Bounds.  Tlie 
Yukon  cannot  be  followed,  the  ice  being  too  much  broken, 
so  that  any  winter  road  will  liave  to  be  overland.  A 
thorough  exploration  is  now  being  made  of  all  tlie  i)asses 
at  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  and  of  the  upper  waters  of  tlie 
Yukon.  In  a  few  months  it  is  expected  that  the  best  routes 
for  reaching  the  district  from  Lynn  Canal  will  be  definitely 
known. 

'*It  is  said  by  those  familiar  with  the  locality  that  the 
storms  which  rage  in  the  upper  altitudes  of  the  coast  range 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  from  October  to  March, 
are  terriiic.  A  man  caught  in  one  of  them  runs  the  risk 
of  losing  his  life,  unless  he  can  reach  shelter  in  a  short 
time.  During  the  summer  there  is  nearly  always  a  wind 
blowing  from  the  sea  up  Chatham  Strait  and  Lynn  Canal, 
which  lie  in  almost  a  straight  line  with  each  other,  and 
at  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  are  Chilkat  and  Chilkoot  Inlets. 
Tlie  distance  from  the  coast  down  these  channels  to  the 


36 


KLONDYEE  FACTS. 


open  sea  is  about  380  miles.  The  mountains  on  each  side 
of  the  water  confine  the  currents  of  air,  and  deflect  inclined 
currents  in  the  direction  of  the  axis  of  the  channel,  so 
that  there  is  nearly  always  a  s*^rong  wind  blowing  up  the 
channel.  Coming  from  the  sea,  this  wind  is  heavily 
charged  with  moisture,  which  is  precipitated  when  the  air 
currents  strike  the  mountains,  and  the  fall  of  rain  and  snow 
is  consequently  very  lieavy. 

**In  Chilkat  Inlet  there  is  not  much  shelter  from  the 
south  wind,  which  renders  it  unsafe  for  ships  calling 
there.  Capt.  Hunter  told  me  he  would  rather  visit  any 
other  part  of  the  coast   than  Chilkat. 

*'To  carry  the  survey  from  the  island  across  to  Chilkoot 
Inlet  I  had  to  get  up  on  the  mountains  north  of  Haines 
mission,  and  from  there  could  see  both  inlets.  Owing  to 
tlic  bad  weather  I  could  get  no  observation  for  azimuth, 
and  had  to  ])roduce  the  survey  from  Pyramid  Island  to 
Taiya  Inlet  by  reading  the  angles  of  deflection  between  the 
courses.  At  Taiya  Inlet  I  got  my  first  observation,  and 
deduced  the  azimuths  of  my  courses  u])  to  that  point. 
Taiya  Inlet  has  evidently  been  the  Valley  of  a  glacier  ;  its 
sides  are  steep  and  smooth  from  glacial  action  ;  and  this, 
Avith  the  wind  almost  constantly  \Ao\\  ing  landward,  renders 
getting  upon  the  shore  difficult.  Some  long  sights  were 
therefore  necessary.  The  survey  was  made  itp  to  tho  head 
of  tJiM  Iidet  on  the  2d  of  Jun(i.  Preparations  were  then 
commenced  for  taking  the  supplies  and  instruments  over 
the  coast  range  of  mountains  to  the  head  of  Lake  Linde- 
man  on  the  Lewes  River.  Commander  Newell  kindly 
aided  me  in  nuiking  arrangements  with  the  Indians,  and 
did  al)  he  could  to  induce  them  to  be  reasonable  in  their 
demands.  This,  however,  neither  he  nor  any  one  else 
could  accomplish.  They  refused  to  carry  to  the  lake  for 
less  than  l^20  per  hundred  pounds,  aiul  as  they  had  learned 
that  the  expedition  was  an  English  one,  the  second  chief 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


37 


of  the  Chilkoot  Indians  recalled  some  memories  of  an  old 
quarrel  which  the  tribe  had  with  the  English  many  yeai3 
ago,  in  which  an  uncle  of  his  was  killed,  and  he  thonglit 
we  should  pay  for  the  loss  of  his  uncle  by  being  charged  an 
exorbitant  price  for  our  packing,  of  which  lie  had  the  sole 
control.  Commander  Newell  told  him  I  had  a  permit  from 
the  Greai  Father  at  Washington  to  pass  through  his  coun- 
try safely,  that  he  would  see  that  I  did  so,  and  if  the  In- 
dians interfered  with  me  they  would  beimnished  for  doing 
so.  After  much  talk  they  consented  to  carry  our  stuif  to 
the  summit  of  the  mountain  for  !{>10  per  hundred  pounds. 
This  is  about  two-thirds  of  the  whole  distance,  includes 
all  tlic  climbing  and  all  the  woods,  and  is  by  far  the  most 
difficult  i)art  of  the  way. 

"  On  tlie  0th  of  June  120  Indians,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, started  for  the  summit.  I  sent  two  of  my  party  with 
them  to  see  the  goods  delivered  at  the  place  agreed  upon. 
Each  carrier  when  given  a  pack  also  got  a  ticket,  on  which 
was  inscribed  the  contents  of  the  pack,  its  weight,  and  the 
amount  the  individual  was  to  get  for  carrying  it.  They 
were  made  to  understand  that  they  had  to  produce  these 
tickets  on  delivering  their  packs,  but  were  not  told  for 
what  reason.  As  each  pack  was  delivered  one  of  my  men 
receipted  tlie  ticket  and  returned  it.  The  Indians  did  not 
seem  to  understand  the  import  of  this  ;  a  few  of  them  pre- 
tended to  have  lost  their  tickets  ;  and  as  they  could  not 
get  paid  without  them,  my  ai.sistant,  who  luul  duplicates 
of  every  ticket,  furnislied  tliem  with  receipted  copies, 
after  examining  their  jiacks. 

'*  While  tliey  were  packing  to  the  summit  I  was  producing 
the  survey,  and  I  met  them  on  their  return  at  the  foot  of 
the  cafion,  about  eight  miles  from  the  coast,  where  I  paid 
them.  They  came  to  the  camp  in  tlie  early  morning  before 
I  was  up,  and  for  about  two  hours  there  was  quite  a  hu))- 
bub.     Wlien  paying  ^^hem  I  tried  to  get  their  names,  but 


38 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


very  few  of  thorn  would  jjjive  any  Iiulian  niimo,  no*;cIy  all, 
after  a  little  rollection,  giviiii^sonie  coninioii  Kd^iI.sIi  name. 
My  list  contaiiu'd  little  else  than  riack.  Tons  -^uc,  Charlie, 
&c.  some  of  which  were  duplicated  threo  and  four  times. 
I  then  found  why  some  of  them  h.id  pretended  to  lose 
their  tickets  at  the  summit.  Throe  or  four  who  had  thus 
acted  presented  themselves  twice  for  payment,  producinuj 
iirst  the  receipted  ticket,  afterwards  the  one  they  claimed 
to  have  lost,  demandini'"  pav  for  hotli.  Thev  were  much 
taken  ahack  when  they  found  that  their  duplicity  had 
been  discovered. 

"  These  Indians  are  perfectly  heartless.  They  will  not 
render  even  the  smallest  aid  to  each  other  without  pay- 
ment ;  and  if  not  to  each  other,  much  less  to  a  white  man. 
I  got  one  of  them,  whom  I  had  previously  assisted  with 
his  pack,  to  take  me  and  two  of  my  party  over  a  small 
creek  in  his  canoe.  After  putting  us  across  he  asked  for 
money,  and  I  gave  him  half  a  dollar.  Another  nuui 
stepped  up  and  denumded  i)ay,  stating  that  the  canoe  was 
his.  To  see  M'hat  the  result  would  be,  1  gave  to  him  the 
same  amount  as  to  the  first.  Immediately  there  Avere  three 
or  four  more  clainumts  for  the  canoe.  I  dismissed  them 
with  a  blessing,  aiul  made  u})  my  mind  that  I  would  wade 
the  next  creek. 

**  Wliile  paying  them  I  Avas  a  little  apprehensive  of  trouble, 
for  they  insisted  on  crowding  into  my  tent,  and  for  my- 
self and  the  four  men  who  were  with  me  to  have  attempted 
to  eject  them  would  have  been  to  invite  trouble.  I  am 
strongly  of  the  opinion  that  these  Indians  would  have  been 
much  more  ditticult  to  deal  with  if  they  had  not  known 
that  Commander  Newell  remained  in  the  inlet  to  see  that 
I  got  through  without  accident. 

*'  While  making  the  survey  from  the  head  of  tidewater  I 
took  the  azimuths  and  altitudes  of  several  of  tiie  highest 
peaks  around  the   head   of  the  inlet,  in  order  to  locate 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


39 


them,  and  obtain  an  idea  of  tlie  t^^eneral  lieiglit  of  tlie 
peaks  in  tlie  coast  range.  As  it  does  not  appear  to  liave 
been  done  before,  I  have  taken  tlie  opportunity  of  naming 
all  the  peaks,  the  positions  of  which  I  fixed  in  the  above 
way.     The  names  and  altitudes  ap])ear  on  my  map. 

"  While  going  up  from  the  head  of  canoe  navigation  on 
the  Taiya  River  I  took  the  angles  of  elevation  of  each 
station  from  the  preceding  one.  I  would  have  done  this 
from  tide  water  up,  but  found  many  of  the  courses  so  short 
and  with  so  little  increase  in  height  that  with  the  instru- 
ment I  liad  it  was  inappreciable.  From  these  angles  I 
have  computed  the  height  of  the  summi,  of  the  Taiya 
Pass,*  above  the  head  of  canoe  navigation,  as  it  appeared 
V-j  me  in  June,  1887,  and  find  it  to  be  3,378  feet.  What 
'^  '.til  of  snow  there  was  I  cannot  say.  The  head  of  canoe 
aavigation  I  estimate  at  about  1:^0  feet  above  tide  water. 
Dr.  Dawson  gives  it  as  Vl-^  feet. 

"  I  determined  the  descent  from  the  summit  to  Lake 
Lindenum  by  carrying  the  aneroid  from  the  lake  to  the 
summit  and  back  again,  the  intervjd  of  time  from  star',  to 
return  being  about  eight  hours.  Taking  the  mean  of  the 
readings  at  the  lake,  start  and  return,  and  the  single  read- 
ing at  the  summit,  the  height  of  the  summit  above  the  lake 
was  foui'd  to  be  1,237  feet.  While  making  the  survey 
from  th'-  .-^inimiit  down  to  the  lake  I  took  the  angles  of  de- 
press';!! of  <  i'ch  station  from  the  preceding  one,  and  from 
thesL  a^ul.'  I  deduced  the  ditference  of  height,  which  I 
found  to     '    i  ,354  feet,  or  117  feet  more  than  that  found 


*  The  distitTice  from  the  head  of  Taiya  Inlot  to  the  summit  of 
the  pass  is  Vo  iniU's,  and  tlie  whole  leiijjjth  of  the  pass  to  Liike 
Linc.^.uan  is  23  miles.  Messrs.  llealy  and  Wilson,  dealers  in 
general  merchandise  and  miners'  supplies  at  Taiya,  have  a  train 
of  park  horses  carrying  freight  from  the  head  of  Lynn  Canal  to 
the  -Hr^aiait,  They  hope  to  be  able  to  take  freight  thn)Ugh  to 
Lake  '      .  r  ji  an  with  their  horses  during  the  present  season. 


40 


ELONDYKE  FACTS. 


by  the  aneroid.  Tliis  is  (jiiito  a  largo  difference  ;  but 
when  we  consider  tlie  altitude  of  the  place,  the  sudden 
changes  of  temperature,  and  the  atmospheric  conditions, 
it  is  not  more  than  one  might  expect. 

"  While  at  Juneau  I  heard  reports  of  a  low  pass  from  the 
head  of  Chilkoot  Inlet  to  the  head  waters  of  Lewes  River. 
During  the  time  I  was  at  the  head  of  Taiya  Inlet  I  made 
inquiries  regarding  it,  and  found  that  there  was  such  a 
pass,  but  could  learn  nothing  definite  about  it  from  either 
whites  or  Indians.  As  Capt.  Moore,  Avho  accompanied 
me,  was  very  anxious  to  go  through  it,  and  as  the  reports 
of  the  Taiya  Pass  indicated  that  no  wagon  road  or  railroad 
could  ever  be  l)uilt  through  it  vhile  the  new  irdss  appeared, 
from  what  little  knowledge  i  ;  '.  get  of  it,  to  be  much 
lower  and  possibly  feasible  for  a  v  j^on  road,  I  determined 
to  send  the  captain  by  that  way,  if  I  could  get  an  Indian 
to  accompany  him.  This,  I  found,  would  be  difficult  to 
do.  Xone  of  the  Chilkoots  appeared  to  know  anything  of 
the  pass,  and  I  concluded  that  they  wished  to  keep  its 
existence  and  condition  a  secret.  The  Tagish,  or  Stick 
Indians,  as  the  interior  Indians  are  locally  called,  are  afraid 
to  do  anything  in  opposition  to  the  wishes  of  the  Chilkoots  ; 
BO  it  was  diilicult  to  get  any  of  them  to  join  Capt.  Moore  ; 
but  after  much  talk  and  encouragement  from  the  whites 
around,  one  of  them  named  '^Jim"  was  induced  to  go. 
He  had  been  through  tliis  pass  before,  and  proved  reliable 
and  useful.  The  information  obtained  from  Capt.  Moore's 
exploration  I  have  incorporated  in  my  plan  of  the  survey 
from  Taiya  Inlet,  but  it  is  not  as  comi)lete  as  I  would 
have  liked.  I  have  named  this  pass  **  White  Pass,^'  in 
honor  of  the  late  Hon.  Thos.  White,  Minister  of  the 
Interior,  under  whose  authority  the  expedition  was  organ- 
ized. Commencing  at  Taiya  Inlet,  about  two  miles  south 
of  its  north  end,  it  folloA  s  up  the  valley  of  the  Shkagway 
River  to  its  source,  and  thence  down  the  valley  of  another 


KLOyDYKE  FACTS. 


41 


river  which  Capt.  Moore  reported  to  empty  into  the  Takono 
or  Windy  Arm  of  IJove  Lake  (Schwatka).  Dr.  Dawson 
says  this  stream  em])ties  into  Takn  Ann,  and  in  tliat 
event  Capt.  Moore  is  nnstaken.  ('apt.  Moore  did  not  go 
all  tlie  way  throngh  to  the  hike,  l)ut  assumed  from  rej)orts 
lie  heard  from  the  ndners  and  others  that  the  stream  llowed 
into  Windy  Arm,  and  this  also  was  the  idea  of  tin;  Indian 
"Jim"  from  what  1  could  gather  from  lii.-;  remarks  in 
hroken  English  and  Chinook.  Ca])t.  Moore  estimates  the 
distance  from  tide  water  to  the  summit  at  al)out  l.S  miles, 
and  from  the  summit  to  the  lake  at  ahout  2'2  to  '2',]  miles. 
lie  reports  the  pass  as  thickly  timhered  all  the  May  through. 

'^  The  timber  line  on  the  south  side  of  the  Taiya  Pass,  as 
determined  by  })arometer  reading,  is  ahout  ^,;J00  feet 
above  the  sea,  while  on  the  north  side  it  is  about  1,000  feet 
below  the  summit.  This  largo  dilTerenee  is  due,  I  think, 
to  the  dilferent  conditions  in  the  two  jdaces.  On  the 
sonth  side  the  valley  is  narrow  and  deep,  and  the  sun  can- 
not produce  its  full  effect.  The  snow  also  is  much  deeper 
there,  owing  to  the  quantity  which  drifts  in  from  the  sur- 
rounding mountains.  On  the  north  side  the  surface  is 
slo])ing,  and  more  exposed  to  the  sun's  rays.  On  the  south 
side  the  timber  is  of  the  class  peculiar  to  the  coast,  ami 
on  the  north  that  peculiar  to  the  interior,  'i'he  latter 
would  grow  at  a  greater  altitude  than  the  coast  tind)er. 
It  is  possible  that  the  sumnut  of  White  Pass  is  not  higher 
than  the  timber  line  on  the  north  of  the  Taiya  Pass, 
or  about  ;^,500  feet  above  tide  water,  and  it  is  possibly 
even  lower  than  this,  as  the  timber  in  ;i  valley  such  as  the 
White  Pass  would  hardly  live  at  the  same  altitude  as  on 
the  open  slope  on  tiie  north  side. 

*'  Capt.  Moore  has  had  considerable  experience  in  building 
roads  in  mountainous  countries.  lie  considers  that  this 
would  be  an  easy  route  for  a  wagon  road  compared  with 
some  roads  lie  has  seen  in  British  Columbia,     Assuming 


42 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


his  distances  to  be  correct,  iiiid  tlio  Iieightof  tlic  pass  to  bo 
probal^ly  about  correctly  indicated,  the  grades  would  not 
be  very  steep,  and  a  railroad  could  easily  be  carried  through 
if  necessary. 

'^  After  completing  the  survey  down  to  the  lake,  I  set 
about  getting  my  baggage  down  too.  Of  all  tlie  Indians 
who  came  to  the  summit  with  packs,  only  four  or  five  could 
be  induced  to  remain  and  pack  down  to  the  lake,  although 
I  was  i)aying  them  at  the  rate  of  ^-^  per  hundred  pounds. 
After  one  trip  down  only  two  men  remained,  and  they  oidy 
in  liopes  of  stealing  something.  One  of  them  appropriated 
a  pair  of  boots,  and  was  nuicli  surprised  to  find  that  he 
had  to  pay  for  them  on  being  settled  with.  I  could  not 
blame  them  nuicli  for  not  caring  to  work,  as  the  weather 
was  very  disagreeable — it  rained  or  snowed  alnu)st  continu- 
ously. After  the  Indians  left  I  tried  to  get  down  the  stuff 
with  the  aid  of  my  own  men,  but  it  was  slavish  and  un- 
heidthy  labor,  and  after  the  first  ti-i].)  one  of  them  was 
laid  \\\)  with  what  appeared  to  be  infhimnuitory  rheumatism. 
The  first  time  the  party  crossed,  the  sun  was  shining 
brightly,  and  this  brought  on  snow  blindness,  the  pain  of 
which  only  those  who  have  suffered  from  this  complaint 
can  realize.  I  had  two  sleds  with  me  Avhich  were  nuide  in 
Juneau  specially  for  the  work  of  getting  over  the  mount- 
ains and  down  the  lakes  on  the  ice.  With  these  I  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  about  a  ton  and  a-half  to  the  lakes,  but 
found  that  the  tinie  it  would  take  to  get  all  down  in  this 
way  would  seriously  interfere  with  the  programme  arranged 
with  Dr.  Dawson,  to  say  nothing  of  the  suffering  of  the 
men  and  myself,  and  the  liability  to  sickness  which  pro- 
tracted physical  exertion  under  such  uncomfortable  con- 
ditions and  continued  sulTcring  from  snow  blindness  ex- 
pose us  to.  I  had  with  me  a  white  num  who  lived  at  the 
head  of  the  inlet  v/ith  aTagish  Indian  woman.  This  man 
had  a  good  deal  of  influence  with  the  Tagish  tribe,  of 


KL  Oy  I)  VK  K  FA  CTS. 


43 


whom  tlio  groiitor  iiimi her  were  then  in  the  iu}igli])orlioocl 
where  he  resided,  trying  to  get  some  odd  jobs  of  work, 
and  I  sent  liim  to  the  liead  of  tlie  inlet  to  try  und  in(hiee 
the  Tiigisli  Indians  to  undertake  tlie  transportation,  offer- 
ing them  '^5  perhuiidred  })oiinds.  In  tlie  meantime  Capt. 
]\Ioore  and  the  Indian  "Jim"  had  rejoined  me.  I  had 
tlu'ir  assistanee  for  a  day  or  two,  and  ''Jim's"  presence 
aided  indirectly  in  inducing  the  Indians  to  come  to  my 
relief. 

"  The  Tagish  are  little  more  than  slaves  to  the  more  power- 
ful coast  tribes,  and  are  in  constant  dread  of  offending 
tliem  in  any  way.  One  of  the  privileges  which  the  coast 
tribes  claim  is  the  exclusive  right  to  all  work  on  the  coast 
or  in  its  viciiuty,  and  the  Tagish  are  afraid  to  dispute  this 
claim.  AVhen  my  white  man  asked  the  Tagish  to  come 
over  and  pack  they  objected  on  the  grounds  mentioned. 
After  consideral)le  ridicule  of  their  cowardice,  and  explana- 
tion of  the  fact  that  they  had  the  exclusive  right  to  all 
Avork  in  their  own  country,  the  country  on  the  side  of  the 
north  side  of  tlu;  coast  range  being  admitted  l)y  the  coast 
Indians  to  belong  to  the  Tagish  triln;  just  as  the  coast 
tribes  had  the  }»rivilege  of  doing  all  the  work  on  the 
coast  side  of  the  mountains,  and  that  one  of  their  num- 
ber was  already  working  with  me  unmolested,  and  likely 
to  continue  so,  nine  of  them  came  over,  and  in  fear 
and  trend)ling  began  to  pack  down  to  the  lake.  After 
they  were  at  work  for  a  few  days  some  of  the  Chilkoots 
came  out  and  also  started  to  work.  Soon  I  had  (piite  a 
luimber  at  work  and  was  getting  my  stuff  down  (juite  fast. 
But  this  good  fortuiu'  was  not  to  continue.  Owing  to  the 
prevailing  wet,  cold  weather  on  the  mountains,  and  the 
dillicnlty  of  getting  through  the  soft  wetsnow,  theliidians 
soon  began  to  (|uit  work  for  a  day  or  two  at  a  time,  and  to 
gaud)le  with  one  another  for  the  wages  already  earned. 
Many  of  them  wanted  to  be  paid  in  full,  but  this  I  posi- 


44 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


i.t' 


tively  refused,  knowing  that  to  do  so  was  to  have  them  all 
apj)!}'  for  tlieir  earnings  and  leave  me  until  necessity  com- 
pelled them  to  go  to  work  again.  I  once  for  all  made  them 
distinctly  understand  that  I  would  not  pay  any  of  them 
until  the  whole  of  the  stuff  was  down.  As  many  of  them 
had  already  earned  from  twelve  to  fifteen  dollars  each,  to 
lose  which  was  a  serious  matter  to  them,  they  reluctantly 
resumed  work  and  kei)t  at  it  until  all  was  delivered.  Tliis 
done,  I  paid  them  olf,  and  set  ahout  getting  my  outfit  across 
the  lake,  which  I  did  with  my  own  party  and  the  two 
Peterhorough  canoes  which  1  had  with  me. 

**  Tliese  two  canoes  travelled  about  15,000  miles  by  rail  and 
about  1,000  miles  by  steamship  before  being  brought  into 
service.  They  did  considerable  work  on  Chilkoot  and 
Tagish  Inlets,  and  were  then  j)acked  over  to  the  head  of 
Lewes  River  (Lake  Lindeman),  from  where  they  were  used 
in  making  the  survey  of  Lewes  and  Yukon  Kivers.  Li  this 
work  they  made  about  (550  landings.  They  were  then 
transported  on  sleighs  from  the  boundary  on  the  Yukon  to 
navigable  water  on  the  Porcupine. 

'^In  the  spring  of  1888  they  descended  the  latter  river, 
heavily  loaded,  and  through  much  rough  water,  to  the 
mouth  of  Bell's  River,  and  np  it  to  McDougall's  Pass. 
They  were  then  carried  over  the  i"»ass  to  Poplar  River  and 
were  used  in  going  down  the  latter  to  Peel  River,  and  thence 
uj)  Mackenzie  River  1,400  miles  ;  or,  exclusive  of  railway 
and  ship  carriage,  they  were  carried  about  170  miles  and 
did  about  2,500  miles  of  work  for  the  expedition,  making 
in  all  about  1,700  landings  in  no  easy  manner  and  going 
through  some  very  bad  water.  I  left  them  at  Fort  Chipe- 
wyan  in  fairly  good  condition,  and,  with  a  little  paint- 
ing, they   would  go  through  the  same  ordeal  again. 

After  getting  all  my  outfit  over  to  the  foot  of  Lake  Linde- 
man I  set  some  of  the  party  to  pack  it  to  the  head  of  Lake 
Beimet, 


KLOShYKK  FA('T>i. 


46 


*'  I  employed  the  rest  of  tlie  party  in  looking  for  timber 
to  build  a  boat  to  carry  my  outfit  of  2)r()vi8ions  aiul  im])le- 
ments  down  the  river  to  the  vicinity  of  the  international 
boundary,  a  distance  of  about  700  miles.  It  took  several 
days  to  find  a  tree  large  enough  to  nuike  plank  for  the 
boat  I  wanted,  as  the  timber  around  the  upper  end  of  the 
lake  is  small  and  scrubby.  My  boat  "was  finished  on  the 
evening  of  the  11th  of  July,  and  on  the  l:^th  I  started  a 
portion  of  the  party  to  load  it  and  go  ahead  with  it  and 
the  outfit  to  the  canon.  They  had  instructions  to  examine 
the  caflon  and,  if  necessary,  to  carry  a  part  of  the  outfit 
past  it — in  any  case,  enough  to  support  the  party  back  to 
the  coast  should  accident  necessitate  such  procedure.  With 
the  rest  of  the  party  I  started  to  carry  on  the  survey,  Avliich 
may  now  be  said  to  have  fairly  started  ahead  on  the  lakes. 
This  proved  tedious  work,  on  account  of  the  stormy 
weather. 

"  In  the  summer  months  there  is  nearly  always  a  wind 
blowing  in  from  the  coast ;  it  blows  down  the  lakes  and 
produces  quite  a  heavy  swell.  This  would  not  prevent  the 
canoes  going  with  the  decks  on,  but,  as  we  had  to  land  every 
mile  or  so,  the  rollers  breaking  on  the  generally  fiat  beach 
proved  very  troublesome.  On  tliis  account  I  found  I 
could  not  average  more  than  ten  miles  i)er  day  on  the 
lakes,  little  more  than  half  of  what  could  be  done  on  the 
river. 

**  The  survey  was  completed  to  the  canon  on  the  20th  of 
July.  There  I  found  the  party  with  the  large  boat  had 
arrived  on  the  18th,  having  carried  a  part  of  the  supplies 
past  the  canon,  and  were  awaiting  my  arrival  to  run  through 
it  with  the  rest  in  the  boat.  Before  doing  so,  however,  I 
made  an  examination  of  the  caflon.  Tlie  ra})ids  below  it, 
particularly  the  last  rapid  of  the  series  (called  the  White 
Horse  by  the  miners),  I  found  would  not  be  safe  to  run. 
I  pent  two  men  through  the  caflon  in  one  of  the  canoes  to 


r.   :!,■ 


40 


liL  OXD  I'/i  IC  FA  Crs. 


await  tlu!  urrival  of  the;  bout,  and  t<»  he  ready  in  case  of  an 
accident  to  pick  us  up.  Every  man  in  tiio  party  was  sup- 
plied witli  a  life-preserver,  bo  that  should  a  casualty  occur 
we  would  all  hav(^  iloated.  Those  in  the  canoe  got  through 
all  right  ;  ])ut  they  would  not  have  liked  to  repeat  the 
trip.  They  said  the  canoe  jumped  about  a  great  deal  more 
than  they  thought  it  would,  and  J  had  the  sanu.»  experience 
when  going  through  in  the  boat. 

''  The  passage  through  is  nuide  in  about  three  miiiutes,  or 
at  the  rate  of  about  T^A  miles  an  hour.  If  the  boat  is  kept 
clear  of  the  sides  there  is  not  much  danger  in  liigh  water  ; 
but  in  low  water  there  is  a  rock  in  the  mi(Ulle  of  the  channel, 
near  the  u})per  end  of  the  cafion,  that  r^'uders  the  })assage 
more  ditticult.  I  did  not  see  this  rock  myself,  but  got  my 
information  from  some  miners  I  met  in  the  interior,  wlio 
described  it  as  being  about  150  yards  down  from  the  head 
and  a  little  to  the  west  of  the  middle  of  the  channel.  In 
low  water  it  barely  projects  above  the  surface.  When  I 
passed  through  there  was  no  indication  of  it,  either  from 
the  bank  above  or  from  the  boat. 

*'The  distance  from  the  head  to  the  foot  of  the  cafion  is 
five-eighths  of  a  mile.  There  is  a  basin  about  midway  in  it 
about  150  yards  in  diameter.  This  basin  is  circular  in 
form,  with  steep  sloping  sides  about  100  feet  high.  The 
lower  part  of  the  canon  is  much  rougher  to  run  through 
than  the  upper  part,  the  fall  being  ap}>arently  much 
greater.  The  sides  are  generally  perpendicular,  about  80 
to  100  feet  high,  and  consist  of  basalt,  in  some  places 
showing  hexagonal  columns. 

''The  White  Horse  Kapids  are  about  three-eighths  of  a 
mile  long.  They  are  the  most  dangerous  rapids  on  the 
river,  and  are  never  run  through  in  boats  except  by  ac- 
cident. They  are  confined  by  low  basaltic  banks,  which, 
at  the  foot,  suddenly  close  in  and  make  the  channel  about 
30  yards  wide.     It  is  here  the  danger  lies,  as  there  is  a 


RLoyDYKh:  FACTS. 


47 


suddon  drop  and  tlie  wiitcr  nislios  tlirough  at  a  tronuMi- 
dons  rate,  leapiii*;  and  st'otliing  like  a  cataract.  The 
miners  have  constructed  a  portage  road  <»n  the  west  side, 
and  put  down  rolhvays  in  some  places  on  wliidi  to  sliovc 
their  boats  over.  They  liave  also  made  some  wiiullasses 
with  which  to  haul  their  boats  \\[)  hill,  notiibly  om>  at  the 
foot  of  the  cafion.  'JMiis  road  way  and  windlasses  nnist  have 
cost  them  many  hours  of  hard  labor.  Should  it  ever  be 
necessary,  a  tramway  could  be  built  i)ast  the  cailon  on  the 
east  side  with  no  great  ditticulty.  With  the  exception 
of  the  Five  Finger  IJapids  these  appear  to  bo  the  only 
serious  rapids  on  the  whole  length  of  the  river. 

"  Five  Finger  ]{a})i(lsare  fcu'med  by  several  islands  stand- 
ing in  the  channel  and  backing  up  the  water  so  much  as 
to  raise  it  about  a  foot,  causing  a  swell  below  for  a  'ew 
yards.  The  islands  are  composed  of  conglomerate  rock, 
similar  to  the  cliffs  on  each  side  of  the  river,  whence  one 
would  infer  that  there  has  been  a  fall  here  in  i)ast  ages. 
F'or  about  two  miles  below  the  rapids  there  is  a  pretty  swift 
current,  but  not  enough  to  prevent  the  ascent  of  a  steam- 
boat of  moderate  jiower,  and  the  rapids  themselves  I  do 
not  think  would  present  any  serious  obstacle  to  the  ascent 
of  a  good  boat.  In  very  high  water  warping  might  be  re- 
quired. Six  miles  below  these  rapids  are  what  are  known 
us  '  Rink  Kapids.'  This  is  simply  a  barrier  of  rocks,  which 
extends  from  the  westerly  side  of  the  river  about  half  way 
across.  Over  this  barrier  there  is  a  ripple  which  would 
offer  no  great  obstacle  to  the  descent  of  a  good  canoe.  On 
the  easterly  sides  there  is  no  ripple,  and  the  current  is 
smooth  and  the  water  apparently  deep.  I  tried  with  a  <> 
foot  paddle,  but  could  not  reach  the  bottom. 

"  On  the  11th  of  August  I  met  a  party  of  miners  coming 
out  who  lia'l  passed  Stewart  Uiver  a  few  days  before. 
They  saw  no  sign  of  Dr.  Dawson  having  been  there.  This 
was  welcome  news  for  me,  as  I  expected  he  would  liave 


48 


KLONbYK^  FACTM. 


li         ^': 


reacluMl  that  point  long  bi-foru  I  arrived,  nil  account  of  tlio 
liiany  delays  I  had  met  with  on  the  coast  range.  These 
miners  also  gave  mc  the  pleasant  news  that  the  story  told 
at  the  coast  about  the  fight  with  the  Indians  at  Stewart 
lliver  was  false,  and  stated  substantially  what  I  have 
already  repeated  c.mcerning  it.  The  same  evening  I  met 
more  miners  on  their  way  out,  and  the  next  day  met  three 
boats,  each  containing  four  men.  In  the  crew  of  one  of  them 
was  a  son  of  Caj)t.  Moore,  from  whom  the  captain  got  such 
information  as  induced  him  to  turn  back  and  accompany 
them  out. 

'*  Next  day,  the  l^Uh,  I  got  to  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly,  and 
found  tha*^  Dr.  Dawson  had  arrived  there  on  the  lltli. 
The  doctor  also  had  experienced  many  delays,  aiul  had 
heard  the  same  storv  of  the  Indian  uprising  in  the  interior. 
I  was  pleased  to  find  tliat  he  was  in  no  immediate  want  of 
provisions,  the  fear  of  which  had  caused  me  a  great  deal  of 
uneasiness  on  the  "way  down  the  river,  as  it  was  arranged 
between  us  in  Victoria  that  I  was  to  take  with  me  provi- 
sions for  his  i)arty  to  do  them  until  their  return  to  the 
coast.  The  doctor  was  so  much  behind  the  time  arranged 
to  meet  me  that  he  determined  to  start  for  the  coast  at 
once.  I  therefore  set  about  making  a  short  report  and 
plan  of  my  survey  to  this  i)oiiic ;  and,  as  I  was  not  likely 
to  get  another  opportunity  of  writing  at  such  length  for  a 
year,  I  ai)])lied  myself  to  a  correspondence  designed  to 
satisfy  my  friends  and  acquaintances  for  the  ensuing 
twelve  months.     This  necessitated  three  days'  hard  work. 

"  On  tile  morning  of  the  ITth  the  doctor  left  for  the  out- 
side world,  leaving  me  with  a  feeling  of  loneliness  that  only 
those  who  have  experienced  it  can  realize.  I  remained 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly  during  the  next  day  taking  mag- 
netic and  astronomical  observations,  and  making  some 
measurements  of  the  river.  On  the  10th  I  resumed  the 
survey  and  reached  White  River  on  the  25th.     Here  I  spent 


7 


KlONDYKE  FACTS, 


49 


i 


7 


most  ol'  a  (lay  tryinjif  to  ascend  tliis  river,  but  found  it  iin- 
practicaijle,  on  account  of  the  swift  current  and  sliallow 
and  very  nuiddy  water.  Tlie  water  is  so  muddy  tliat  it  is 
inipossil/ie  to  see  tlirou<,di  one-eighth  of  an  incli  of  it. 
Tlie  current  is  very  strong,  probably  eiglit  miles  or  more 
])er  liour,  and  the  numerous  bars  in  the  bed  arc  constantly 
changing  phu^e.  After  trying  for  several  bours,  tlie  base 
men  succeeded  in  doing  about  half  a  mile  only,  and  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  useless  to  try  to  get  up  ti»i>; 
stream  to  the  boundary  with  canoes.  Had  it  proved 
feasible  I  had  intended  nuiking  a  survey  of  this  stream  to 
tbe  bouiulary,  to  discover  more  es})ecially  the  facilities  it 
offered  for  the  transport  of  supplies  in  the  event  of  a 
survey  of  tbe  Interiuitional  JJoumlary  ])eing  undertaken. 

**  I  readied  Stewart  Kiver  on  the  JiOtli.  Here  I  remained 
a  day  taking  magnetic  observations,  and  getting  infornui- 
tion  from  a  miner,  named  McDonald,  about  tbe  country 
II J)  that  river.  McDonald  bad  s})ent  the  summer  up  tbe 
river  prosi)ecting  aiul  exi)loring.  His  information  will  be 
given  in  detail  further  on. 

**  Fort  Keliance  was  readied  on  tbe  1st  of  Se2)tember,  and 
Forty  Mile  Kiver  (Cone-Hill  River  of  Sehwatka)  on  the 
7tli.  In  tbe  interval  between  Fort  Keliance  and  Forty 
Mile  Iliver  tliere  were  several  days  lost  by  rain. 

"At  Forty  Mile  River  I  made  some  arrangements  witli 
the  traders  tliere  (Messrs.  Harper  &  ^McQuestion)  about 
supplies  during  the  winter,  and  about  getting  Indians  to 
assist  me  in  crossing  from  the  Yukon  to  tbe  bead  of  the 
Porcupine,  or  perhaps  on  to  the  Peel  River.  I  then  made 
a  survey  of  the  Forty  Mile  River  up  to  the  canon.  I 
found  the  canon  would  l)ediffieultof  ascent,  and  dangerous 
to  descend,  and  therefore,  concluded  to  (U'fer  further 
operations  until  the  winter,  and  until  after  I  had  (U'ter- 
mined  the  longitude  of  my  winter  post  near  the  boundary, 
when  I  would  be  in  a  much  better  ^lositiou  to  locate  th« 


50 


KL  OND  YKE  FA  CTS. 


intersection  of  the  Internationa)  Boundary  with  this  river, 
a  point  important  to  dotormine  on  account  of  tlio  number 
and  richness  of  the  mining  claims  on  tlie  river. 

''  I  left  Forty  Mile  River  for  the  boundary  line  between 
Alaska  and  the  Northwest  Territories  on  the  12th  Sep- 
tember, and  finished  the  survey  to  tha'"  point  on  the  14th. 
I  then  spent  two  days  in  examining  tlio  valley  of  the  river 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  boundary  to  get  the  most  extensive 
view  of  the  horizon  possible,  and  to  find  a  tree  large  enough 
to  serve  for  a  transit  stand, 

"  Before  leaving  Torojuo  I  got  Mr.  Foster  to  make  large 
brass  jdates  with  V's  on  them,  which  could  be  screwed 
lirndy  to  a  stump,  and  thus  be  made  to  serve  as  a  transit 
staiul.  I  required  a  stump  at  least  22  inches  in  diameter 
to  make  a  base  large  enough  for  the  })lates  when  properly 
placed  for  the  transit.  In  a  search  which  covered  about 
four  miles  of  tlio  river  bank,  on  both  sides,  I  fouiul  only 
one  tree  as  large  as  18  inc'nes.  I  mention  this  fact  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  size  of  tiie  trees  along  the  river  in  this 
vicinity.  I  had  this  stump  enlarged  by  firudy  fixing  pieces 
on  tlie  sides  so  as  to  bring  it  up  to  the  requisite  size.  This 
done,  I  built  around  the  stump  a  snudl  transit  house  of 
the  ordinary  form  and  then  mounted  and  adjusted  my 
transit.  Meanwhile,  most  of  the  party  were  busy  prepar- 
ing our  winter  quarters  and  l)uilding  a  magnetic  observa- 
tory. As  I  had  been  led  to  expect  extremely  low  temi)er- 
aturer.  during  the  winter,  I  adopted  precautionary  measures, 
ao  as  to  be  as  comfortable  as  circumstances  would  permit 
during  our  stay  there. 


< 


DESCRIPTION     OF    THE    YUKON,    ITS    AFFLUENT    STREAMS, 
AND  THE   ADJACENT   COUNTRY. 

"  I  will  now  give,  from  my  own  observation  and  from 
Information  received,  a  more  detailed  description  of  tho 


KL  ONI)  YKE  FA  CTS. 


51 


i 


Lewes  River,  its  aftluent  streams,  and  the  resources  of  tlie 
adjacent  country. 

"  For  the  purpose  of  navi<^ation  a  description  of  tlie 
Lewes  River  begins  at  tlie  liead  of  Lake  Bennet.  Above 
tlii't  print,  and  between  it  and  Lake  Lindenian.  tliere  is 
only  about  tliree-quarters  of  a  mile  of  river,  wliicii  is  not 
more  than  fifty  or  sixty  yards  Avide,  and  two  or  three  Feet 
deep,  and  is  so  swift  and  rough  that  naviufation  is  out  of 
the  question. 

'•  Lake  Lindenian  is  about  five  miles  loiiij:  an<l  half  a  mile 
wide.  It  is  deep  enough  for  all  ordinary  pur[)oses.  Lake 
]5eniu't*  is  twenty-six  and  a  cpuirter  miles  long,  for  the 
upper  fourteen  of  which  it  is  about  lialf  a  mik'  wide. 
About  midway  in  its  I'ligth  an  arm  comes  in  from  the 
west,  which  fSchwatka  a})pears  to  have  mistaken  for  a 
river,  and  nanuul  Whealon  River.  This  arm  is  wider  tiian 
the  otlier  arm  down  to  that  })oint,  and  is  re})orted  by 
Lidians  to  be  longer  and  heading  in  a  glacier  whicii  lies  in 
the  pass  at  the  head  of  Chilkoot  Inlet.  This  arm  is,  as 
far  as  seen,  surrounded  by  high  mountains,  apparently 
much  higher  than  those  on  the  arm  we  travellctl  down. 
Below  the  junction  of  the  tAvo  arms  the  lake  is  about  one 
and  a  half  miles  wide,  with  deej)  water.  Above  the  fitrks 
the  water  of  the  east  branch  is  muchly.  This  is  caused  by 
the  streams  from  tiie  numerous  glaciers  on  the  head  of 
the  tril)utaries  of  Lake  Tjindeman. 

'*  A  stream  which  lows  into  Lake  liennet  iit  the  south- 
west corner  is  also  very  dirty,  and  lias  shoaled  (|uite  a  large 
jiortion  of  the  lake  at  its  mouth.  The  l)ea('h  at  the  lower 
end  of  this  lake  is  comparatively  tiat  and  the  w-iicr  shoal. 


*  A  small  sjivv-niill  has  Ixjen  erected  at  tlie  head  of  Lake  Ben- 
net  ;  lumber  for  boat  building  wells  at  §100  per  M.  Boats  25  feet 
long  and  5  feet  beam  are  $60  each.  Last  year  the  ice  broke  up 
in  the  lake  on  the  12th  June,  but  this  season  is  earlier  and  the 
boats  are  expected  to  go  down  the  lake  about  the  1st  of  June. 


tt 


KLONhYKE  FACTS. 


A  deep,  wide  valley  extends  northwards  from  the  north 
end  of  the  lake,  apparently  reaching  to  the  canon,  or  a 
short  distance  above  it.  This  may  have  been  originally  a 
course  for  the  waters  of  tiie  river.  The  bottom  of  the 
valley  is  wide  and  sandy,  and  covered  with  scrubby  timber, 
principally  poplar  and  pitch-pine.  The  waters  of  the  lake 
empty  at  the  extreme  north-east  angle  through  a  channel 
not  more  than  one  hundred  yards  wide,  which  soon  expands 
into  what  Schwatka  called  Lake  Nares.*  Through  this 
narrow  channel  tliere  is  quite  a  current,  and  more  than  7 
feet  of  water,  as  a  C  foot  paddle  and  a  foot  of  arm  added 
to  its  length  did  not  reach  the  bottom. 

*'Tiie  hills  at  the  upper  end  of  Lake  Lindeman  rise 
abruptly  from  the  water's  edge.  At  the  lower  end  they  are 
neither  so  steep  nor  so  high. 

**  Lake  Xares  is  only  two  and  a  half  miles  long,  and  its 
greatest  width  is  about  a  mile  ;  it  is  not  deep,  but  is  navi- 
gable for  boats  drawing  5  or  G  feet  of  water  ;  it  is  separated 
from  Lake  Bennet  by  a  shallow  sandy  point  of  not  more 
than  200  yards  in  length. 

"  No  streams  of  any  consequence  empty  ii^to  either  of 
these  lakes.  A  small  river  flows  into  Lake  Bei:net  on  the 
west  side,  a  short  distance  north  of  the  fork,  and  another 
at  the  extreme  north-west  angle,  but  neither  of  them  is  of 
any  consequence  in  a  navigable  sense. 

**  LakeNares  flows  through  a  narrow  curved  channel  into 
Bove  Lake  (Schwatka).  Tliis  channel  is  not  more  than 
GOO  or  700  yards  long,  and  the  water  in  it  appears  to  be  suf- 
ficiently deep  for  boats  that  could  navigate  the  lake.  The 
land  between  the  lakes  along  this  channel  is  low,  swampy, 
and  covered  with  willows,  ?'nd,  at  the  stage  in  which  I  saw 
it,  did  not  rise  more  than  3  feet  above  the  water.  The 
hills  on  the  southwest  side  slope  up  easily,  and  are  not 

*The  connecting  waters  between  Liike  Bennet  and  Tagish 
Lake  constitute  whal.  is  now  called  Caribou  Crossing. 


EL OND  YKE  FA  CTS. 


53 


high  ;  on  tlie  north  suh.  tlie  deep  valley  already  referred  to 
borders  it  ;  and  on  tlie  east  side  tlie  mountains  rise  abruptly 
from  the  lake  shore. 

"  Bove  Lake  (called  Ta,i^ish  Lake  by  Dr.  Dawson)  is 
about  a  mile  wide  for  the  ilrst  two  miles  of  its  leni^^th,  wlien 
it  is  joined  by  wliat  tlie  miners  have  called  the  Windy  Arm. 
One  of  the  Tairish  Lidians  informed  me  thev  called  it 
Takone  Lake.  Here  the  lake  exj)ands  to  a  width  of  about 
two  miles  for  a  distance  of  some  three  miles,  Avhen  it  sud- 
denly narrows  to  about  half  a  mile  for  a  distance  of  a  little 
over  a  mile,  after  which  it  widens  again  to  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  or  more. 

"  Ten  miles  from  the  head  of  the  lake  it  is  joined  by  the 
Taku  Arm  from  tiie  south.  This  arm  must  be  of  consider- 
able lengtb,  as  it  can  be  seen  for  a  long  distance,  and  its 
valley  can  be  traced  through  the  mountains  nuich  farther 
than  the  lake  itself  can  be  seen.  It  is  apjiarently  over  a 
mile  wide  at  its  mouth  or  junction. 

**  Dr.  Dawson  includes  Bove  Lake  and  these  two  arms 
under  the  common  name  of  Tagisli  liake.  This  is  much 
more  simple  and  comprehensive  than  the  variou<  names 
given  them  by  travellers.  These  waters  collectively  are 
the  fishing  and  hunting  grounds  of  the  Tagish  idians,  and 
as  they  are  real  "  one  body  of  water,  there  is  no  reason  why 
they  should  not  bo  all  included  under  one  name. 

"  From  the  junction  with  the  Taku  Arm  to  the  north  end 
of  the  lake  the  distance  is  about  six  miles,  the  greater  part 
being  over  two  miles  wide.  Th'i  west  side  is  very  flat  and 
shallow,  so  much  so  that  it  wtii  impossible  in  many  jdaces 
to  get  our  canoes  to  the  shore,  aiul  quite  a  distance  out  in 
the  lake  there  was  not  more  than  T)  feet  of  water.  The 
members  of  mv  partv  who  were  in  charge  of  the  lar^e  boat 
and  outfit,  went  down  the  east  side  of  the  lake  and  reported 
the  depth  about  the  same  as  I  fourul  on  the  west  side,  with 
many  large  rocks.     They  passed  through  it  in  the  night  in 


54 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


a  ruinstorm,  and  were  much  alarmed  for  tlie  safety  of  the 
boat  and  provisions.  It  would  appear  that  this  part  of  the 
lake  refiuircs  some  improvement  to  make  it  in  keeping 
with  the  rest  of  the  water  system  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected. 

"Where  the  river  debouches  from  it,  it  is  about  150 
yards  wide,  and  for  a  siiort  distance  not  more  than  5  or  6 
feet  deep.  The  depth  is,  however,  soon  increased  to  10 
feet  or  more,  and  so  continues  down  to  what  Schwatka 
calls  Marsh  Lake.  The  miners  call  it  Mud  Lake,  but  on 
this  name  thoy  do  not  appear  to  be  agreed,  many  of  them 
calling  the  Inwer  part  of  Tagish  or  Bove  Lake  '*  Mud 
Lake,''  on  account  of  its  shallowness  and  flat  muddy  shores, 
as  seen  along  the  west  side,  the  side  nearly  always  travelled, 
as  it  is  more  sheltered  from  the  prevailing  southerly  Avinds. 
The  term  *^Mud  Lake'^  is,  however,  not  applicable  to  this 
lake,  as  oidy  a  comjjaratively  small  part  of  it  is  shallow  or 
nuiddy  ;  and  it  is  neiirly  as  inapplicable  to  Marsh  Lake,  aa 
the  latter  is  not  markedly  muddy  along  the  west  side,  and 
from  the  ap[)earance  of  the  east  shore  one  would  not  judge 
it  to  be  so,  as  the  banks  ajjpear  to  be  high  and  gravelly. 

*'  Marsh  Lake  is  a  little  over  nineteen  miles  long,  and 
averages  about  two  miles  in  width.  I  tried  to  determine 
the  width  of  it  as  I  went  along  with  my  survey,  by  taking 
azimuths  of  i)oints  on  the  eastern  sliorc  from  different 
stations  of  the  survey  ;  but  in  only  one  case  did  I  succeed, 
as  there  were  no  promiiu>ut  marks  on  that  shore  which 
could  be  identified  from  more  than  one  place.  Tiie  piece 
of  river  connecting  Tagish  and  Marsh  Lakes  is  about  live 
miles  long,  and  averages  150  to ^00  yards  in  width,  and,  as 
already  nu'utioned,  is  deep,  except  for  a  short  distance  at  the 
head.  On  it  are  situated  the  oidy  Indian  houses  to  be  found 
in  the  interior  with  any  pretension  to  skill  in  construction. 
Tliey  show  much  more  labor  and  imitativeness  than  one 
knov/ing  anything  about  the  Indian  in  his  native  state 


KL  O.V  D  YKK  FA  CTH, 


55 


would  expect.  Tlie  pl;ui  is  evidently  taken  from  the  Indian 
houses  on  the  coast,  wiiieh  appear  to  me  to  he  a  poor  copy 
of  tlie  houses  which  the  JTudson's  liay  Company^s  servants 
buikl  around  tlieir  tradiuf]^  posts.  Tliese  houses  do  not 
appear  to  haveheen  used  for  some  time  past,  and  are  ahnost 
in  ruins.  Tlie  Tagish  Indians  are  now  generally  on  the 
coast,  as  they  find  it  mueii  easier  to  live  there  than  in  their 
own  country.  As  si  matter  of  fact,  what  they  make 
in  their  own  country  is  taken  from  them  by  the  Coast 
Indians,  so  that  there  is  little  inducement  for  them  to 
remain. 

"  The  Lewes  River,  where  it  leaves  Marsh  Lake,  is  about 
^00  yards  wide,  and  averages  this  width  as  far  as  the  cafion. 
I  did  not  try  to  find  bottom  anywhere  as  I  went  along,  ex- 
cept where  I  iiad  reason  to  think  it  shallow,  and  there  I 
always  tried  with  my  paddle.  I  did  not  anywhere  find 
bottom  with  this,  which  shows  that  there  is  no  part  of  this 
stretch  of  the  river  with  less  than  six  feet  of  water  at 
medium  height,  at  Avhieh  stage  it  appeared  to  me  the  river 
y:nz  at  that  time. 

*^From  the  head  of  Lake  Bennet  to  the  cafion  the  cor- 
rected distance  is  ninety-five  miles,  all  of  which  is  navigable 
for  boats  drawing  5  feet  or  more.  Add  to  this  the  westerly 
arm  of  Lake  Bennet,  and  the  Takone  or  Windy  Arm  of 
Tagish  Lake,  each  a])out  fifteen  miles  in  length,  and  the 
Taku  Arm  of  the  latter  lake,  of  unkiu)wn  length,  but  prob- 
ably not  less  than  thirty  miles,  and  we  have  a  stretcli  of 
water  of  upwards  of  one  hundred  miles  in  length,  all  easily 
navigable  ;  and,  as  has  been  pointed  out,  ea  y  connected 
with  Taiya  Iidet  through  the  White  Pass. 

*'  Xo  streams  of  any  importanee  enter  any  of  these  lakes 
so  far  as  I  know.  A  river,  called  by  Schwatka  '•  McClin- 
tock  River,"  enters  Marsh  Lake  at  the  lower  end  from  the 
east.  It  occui)ie8  a  large  valley,  as  seen  from  the  westerly 
side  of  the  lake,  but  the  stream  is  apparently  unimportant. 


56 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


Another  small  stream,  apparently  only  a  creek,  enters  the 
south-east  angle  of  the  lake.  It  is  not  probable  that  any 
stream  coming  from  the  east  side  of  the  lake  is  of  import- 
ance, as  the  strip  of  country  between  the  Lewes  and  Teslin- 
too  is  not  more  than  than  thirty  or  forty  miles  in  width  at 
this  point. 

^*  The  Taku  Arm  of  Tagish  Lake,  is,  so  far,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  reports  from  Indians,  unknown  ;  but  it  is  equally 
improbable  that  any  river  of  importance  enters  it,  as  it  is 
so  near  the  source  of  the  waters  flowing  northwards.  How- 
ever, this  is  a  question  that  can  only  be  decided  by  a  proper 
exploration.  The  caflon  I  have  already  described  and  will 
only  add  that  it  is  five-eighths  of  a  mile  long,  about  100  foet 
wide,  with  perpendicular  banks  of  basaltic  rock  from  GO  to 
100  feet  high. 

**  Below  the  caflon  proper  there  is  a  stretch  of  rapids  for 
about  a  mile  ;  then  about  half  a  mile  of  smooth  water,  fol- 
lowing which  are  the  White  Horse  Rapids,  which  are  three- 
eighths  of  a  mile  long,  and  unsafe  for  boats. 

''The  total  fall  in  the  caflon  and  succeeding  rapids  was 
measured  and  found  to  be  32  feet.  Were  it  ever  necessary 
to  make  this  part  of  the  river  navigable  it  will  be  no  easy 
task  to  overcome  the  obstacles  at  this  point ;  but  a  tram  or 
railway  could,  with  very  little  difliculty,  be  constructed 
along  the  east  side  of  the  river  past  the  caflon. 

*'  For  some  distance  below  the  White  Horse  Rapids  the 
current  is  swift  and  the  viver  wide,  with  many  gravel  bars. 
The  reach  between  these  rapids  and  Lake  Labarge,  a  dis- 
tance of  twenty-seven  and  a  half  miles,  is  all  smooth  water, 
with  a  strong  current.  The  average  width  is  about  150 
yards.  There  is  no  impediment  to  navigation  other  than 
the  swift  current,  and  this  is  no  stronger  than  on  the  lower 
part  of  the  river,  which  is  already  navigated  ;  nor  is  it 
worse  than  on  the  Saskatchewan  and  Red  Rivers  in  the 
more  eastern  part  of  our  territory. 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


67 


"  About  midway  in  tliis  stretcli  the  Talikecna  River  * 
joins  the  Lewes.  This  river  is,  apparently,  about  lialf  tlie 
size  of  the  hitter.  Its  Avaters  are  nuuUly,  indicatin<^  tlie 
passage  through  a  chiyey  district.  1  got  some  indetinite 
information  about  tliis  river  from  an  Indian  who  liap}>ened 
to  meet  me  just  below  its  mouth,  but  I  could  not  readily 
make  him  understand  me,  and  his  replies  were  a  compound 
of  Chinook,  Tagish,  and  signs,  and  therefore  largely  unin- 
telligible. From  what  I  could  understand  with  any  cer- 
tainty, the  river  was  easy  to  descend,  there  being  no  bjul 
rapids,  and  it  came  out  of  a  lake  much  larger  than  any  I 
had  yet  passed. 

''Here  I  may  remark  that  I  have  invariably  found  it 
difficult  to  get  reliable  or  definite  information  from  Iiulians. 
The  reasons  for  this  are  many.  Most  of  the  Indians  it  has 
been  my  lot  to  meet  are  expecting  to  make  something,  tind 
consequently  are  very  chary  about  doing  or  saying  anything 
unless  they  think  they  will  be  well  rewarded  for  it.  They 
are  naturally  very  suspicious  of  strangers,  and  it  takes  some 
time,  and  some  knowledge  of  their  language,  to  overcome 
this  suspicion  and  gain  their  confidence.  If  you  begin  at 
once  to  ask  questions  about  their  country,  without  pre- 
viously having  them  understand  that  you  have  no  unfrieiul- 
ly  motive  in  doing  so,  they  l)ecome  alarmed,  and  although 
you  may  not  meet  with  a  positive  refusal  to  answer  ques- 
tions, you  make  very  little  progress  in  getting  desired  in- 
formation. On  the  otlier  haiul  I  have  met  cases  where, 
either  through  fear  or  hope  of  reward,  they  were  only  too 
anxious  to  impart  all  they  knew  or  had  heard,  and  even 
more  if  they  thought  it  would  })lease  their  hearer.  I  need 
liardly  say  that  such  infornnition  is  often  not  at  all  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  facts. 

*The  Talikeena  wa.s  formerly  much  used  by  the  Chilk.it  Indians 
as  a  means  of  reaching  the  interior,  but  never  by  the  miners 
owing  to  the  distance  from  the  sea  to  its  head. 


58 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


!- 


( 


'^I  liave  several  times  found  that  some  act  of  mine  when 
in  their  presence  has  aroused  eitlier  tlieir  fear,  sui)erstiti(m 
or  cupidity.  As  an  instance  :  on  tlie  Bell  Kiver  1  met  some 
Indiana  coming  down  stream  as  I  was  going  up.  We  were 
ashore  at  the  time,  and  invited  tliem  to  join  us.  'J'liey 
started  to  come  in,  but  very  slowly,  and  all  the  time  kept 
a  watchful  eye  on  us.  I  noticed  that  my  double-barrelled 
shot  gun  was  lying  at  my  feet,  loaded,  and  i)ieked  it  up  to 
unload  it,  as  I  kncAV  they  would  be  handling  it  after  land- 
ing. This  alarmed  them  so  much  that  it  was  some  time 
before  they  came  in,  and  I  don't  think  they  would  have 
come  ashore  at  all  had  they  not  heard  that  a  party  of 
white  men  of  whom  we  answered  the  description,  were  com- 
ing through  that  way  (they  had  learned  this  from  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  officers),  and  concluded  we  were 
the  party  described  to  them.  After  drinking  some  of  our 
tea,  and  getting  a  supply  for  themselves,  they  became  quite 
friendly  and  communicative. 

"  I  Cite  these  as  instances  of  what  one  meets  with  who 
comes  in  contact  with  Indians,  and  of  how  trifles  affect 
them.  A  sojourn  of  two  or  three  days  with  them  and  the 
assistance  of  a  common  friend  would  do  much  to  disabuse 
them  of  such  ideas,  but  when  you  have  no  such  aids  you 
must  not  expect  to  make  much  progress. 

"  Lake  Labarge  is  thirty-one  miles  long.  In  the  upper 
thirteen  it  varies  from  three  to  four  miles  in  width  ;  it  then 
narrows  to  about  two  miles  for  a  distance  of  seven  miles, 
when  it  begins  to  widen  again,  and  gradually  expands  to 
about  two  and  a-half  or  three  miles,  the  lower  six  miles  of 
it  maintaining  the  latter  width.  The  survey  was  carried 
along  the  western  shore,  and  while  so  engaged  I  deter- 
mined the  width  of  the  upper  wide  part  by  triangulation 
at  two  points,  the  width  of  the  narrow  middle  part  at  three 
points,  and  the  width  of  the  lower  part  at  three  points. 
Dr.  Dawson  on  his  way  out  made  a  track  survey  of  the 


ELONDYKE  FACTS. 


69 


eastern  shore.  The  western  sliore  is  irrefj^nlar  in  numy 
places,  being  indented  l)y  hirgc  l)uys,  espeeially  at  tlu^  upper 
and  lower  ends.  These  bays  arc,  as  a  rule,  shallow,  more 
especially  those  at  the  lower  eiul. 

"  Just  above  where  the  lake  narrows  in  the  middle  there 
is  a  large  island.  It  is  three  and  a-ludf  miles  long  and 
about  half  a  mile  in  width.  It  is  shown  on  Schwatka's 
map  as  a  peninsula,  and  called  by  him  liichtofi-n  Uocks. 
IIow  he  came  to  think  it  a  peninsula  T  cannot  understand, 
as  it  is  well  ont  in  the  lake  ;  the  nearest  2)oint  of  it  to  the 
western  shore  is  upwards  of  half  a  mile  distant,  and  the 
extreme  width  of  the  lake  here  is  not  more  tlian  live  miles, 
which  includes  the  depth  of  the  deepest  bays  on  the  western 
side.  It  is  therefore  ditticultto  understand  that  he  did  not 
see  it  as  an  island.  The  upper  half  of  this  island  is  gravelly, 
and  does  not  rise  very  high  above  the  lake.  The  lower  end 
is  rocky  and  high,  the  rock  being  of  a  bright  red  color. 

**  At  the  lower  end  of  the  lake  there  is  a  large  valley  ex- 
tending northwards,  which  has  evidently  at  one  time  been 
the  outlet  of  the  lake.  Dr.  Dawson  has  noted  it  jind  its 
peculiarit  s.  His  remarks  regarding  it  will  be  found  on 
pages  15(j-160  of  his  report  entitled  '  Yukon  District  and 
Northern  portion  of  British  C^olumbia,'  i)ublislied  in  188!). 

*'  The  width  of  the  Lewes  Riveras  it  leaves  the  lake  is  the 
same  as  at  its  entrance,  about  200  yards.  Its  waters  when 
I  was  there  were  murky.  This  is  caused  by  the  action  of 
the  waves  on  the  shore  along  the  lower  end  of  the  lake. 
The  water  at  the  upper  end  and  at  the  middle  of  the  lake 
is  quite  clear,  so  much  so  that  the  bottom  can  be  distinctly 
seen  at  a  depth  of  G  or  7  feet.  The  wiiul  l)lows  almost 
constantly  down  this  lake,  and  in  a  high  wind  it  gets  very 
rough.  The  miners  complain  of  much  detention  owing  to 
this  cause,  and  certainly  I  cannot  complain  of  a  lack  of 
wind  while  I  was  on  the  lake.  This  lake  was  named  after 
one  Mike  Labarge,  who  was  engaged  by  the  "Western  Union 


60 


KLONbYKE  FACTS, 


I 


Telegraph  Company,  exploring  tiie  river  and  adjacent 
country  for  the  purpose  of  connecting  Eurojx!  and  America 
by  telegra})!!  through  IJritish  Columbia,  and  Alaska,  and 
across  liehring  Strait  to  Asia,  and  thencoto  Europe.  This 
exjdoration  took  place  in  1807,  but  it  does  iu)t  ap])ear  that 
Labarge  then,  nor  for  some  years  after,  saw  the  lake  called 
by  his  name.  The  successful  laying  of  the  Atlantic  calde 
in  180(5  put  a  stop  to  this  projec^t,  and  the  exploring  parties 
sent  out  were  recalled  as  soon  as  word  could  be  got  to  them. 
It  seems  that  Labarge  had  got  up  as  far  as  the  Pelly  before 
he  received  his  recall  ;  he  had  heard  something  of  a  large 
lake  some  distance  further  up  the  river,  and  afterwards 
spoke  of  it  to  some  traders  and  miners  who  called  it  after 
him. 

*'  After  leaving  Lake  Lal)arge  the  river,  for  a  distance 
of  about  live  miles,  preserves  a  gem^rally  uniform  width 
and  an  easy  current  of  about  four  miles  per  hour.  It  then 
makes  a  short  turn  round  a  low  gravel  point,  and  flows  in 
exactly  the  oi)posite  of  its  general  course  for  a  mile  when  it 
again  turns  sharply  to  its  general  direction.  The  current 
around  this  curve  and  for  some  distance  below  it — in  all 
four  or  iive  miles — is  very  swift.  I  timed  it  in  several 
places  and  found  it  from  six  to  seven  miles  an  hour.  It 
then  moderates  to  four  or  live,  and  continues  so  until  the 
Teslintoo  River  is  reached,  thirty-one  and  seven  tenths 
miles  from  Lake  Labarge.  Ti»e  average  width  of  this  part 
of  the  river  is  about  150  yards,  and  the  depth  is  sutlicient 
to  alTord  ])assage  for  boats  drawing  at  least  5  feet.  It  is,  as 
a  rule,  crooked,  and  consequently  a  little  difficult  to  navi- 
gate. 

"The  Teslintoo*  was  so  called  by  Dr.  Dawson — this,  ac- 

*The  limited  amount  of  prospecting  that  has  been  done  on  this 
river  is  said  to  be  very  satisfactory,  fine  gold  luiving  been  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  triver.  The  lack  of  supplies  is  the  great  draw- 
bav'^k  to  its  development,  and  this  will  not  be  overcome  to  any  ex- 


KL  OND  YK  E  FA  C  TS. 


61 


cordinpf  to  inforniatioii  obtaiiiod  by  him,  boin^  tl»c  Tiulijin 
name.  It  is  called  by  the  miiuTS  *  Ilootaliiikwa  '  or 
Ilotaliiuiua,  and  was  calh'd  l)y  Schwatka,  who  appears  to 
have  bestowed  no  other  attention  to  it,  tlio  Newberry,  al- 
thougli  it  is  apparently  much  lar^'erthan  the  Lewes.  Tliis 
was  so  apparent  tliat  in  my  interim  rej)orts  I  stated  it  as  a 
fact.  Owin<^  to  cireninstanees  already  narrated,  I  had  not 
time  while  at  the  month  to  make  any  measurement  to  de- 
termine the  relative  size  of  the  rivers  ;  but  on  his  way  out 
Dr.  Dawson  made  these  measurements,  and  his  re})ort,  be- 
fore ref{M'red  to,  <,dves  the  followin»(  values  of  the  cross  sec- 
tions of  each  stream  :  Lewes,  3,015  feet ;  Teslintoo,  .'{.SOO 
feet.  In  the  same  connection  lie  states  that  the  Ja'wcs  ap- 
peared to  be  about  1  foot  above  its  lowest  summer  level, 
while  the  Teslintoo  appeared  to  be  at  its  lowx"st  level. 
Assumini^  this  to  be  so,  and  takin<i^  lijs^  widths  as  our  data, 
it  would  reduce  his  cross  section  of  the  Lewes  to  •^,5!>r)  feet. 
Owing,  however,  to  the  current  in  the  Lewes,  as  deterTuined 
by  Dr.  Dawson,  being  just  double  that  of  the  Teslintoo, 
the  figures  being  5*08  and  Ji'88  miles  per  hour,  respectively, 
the  discharge  of  the  Lewes,  taking  these  tigures  again  in 
18,04-4  feet,  and  of  the  Teslintoo  11,4150  feet.  To  reduce 
the  Lewes  to  its  lowest  level  the  doctor  savs  would  make 
its  discharge  15,000  feet. 

**  The  Avater  of  the  Teslintoo  is  of  a  dark  brown  color, 
similar  in  appearance  to  the  Ottawa  River  water,  and  a  little 
turbid.  Kotwii>standing  the  dilTerence  of  volume  of  dis- 
tent until  by  some  means  heavy  freight  can  be  brought  over  the 
coast  range  to  tlie  head  of  the  river.  IniU^ed,  owing  to  the  diffi- 
culties attending  access  and  transportation,  t  lie  great  drawback  to 
the  entire  Yukon  district  at  jirt^sent  is  the  wu'it  of  lieavy  mining 
machinery  and  the  scarcity  of  supplies.  The  government  being 
aware  of  the  requirements  and  jjossibilities  of  the  country,  lias 
undertaken  the  task  of  making  preliminary  surveys  for  trails  and 
railroads,  and  no  doubt  in  the  near  future  the  avenue  for  better 
and  quicker  transportation  facilities  will  l)e  opened  up. 


KLOSDYKE  FACTS. 


m. 


chnr^v,  tlio  Tcslintoo  cliiiiiges  conipU'toly  the  cluiractor  of 
the  river  hclow  the  jiiiietion,  and  u  person  comiiijLjf  up  tlio 
rivor  would,  ut  the  forks,  uiihcsitiitiu^My  [jronounce  the 
Tesliutoo  the  iniiiii  streiun.  The  water  of  tlie  Lewes  is 
hlue  ill  e(dor,  and  at  the  time  I  speak  of  was  soinewliat 
dirty — not  enou<(li  so,  liowever,  to  prevent  one  seeing  to  a 
de{)tli  of  two  or  tiiree  feet. 

"  At  tlie  junction  of  tlie  Lewes  and  Teslintoo  I  met  two 
or  three  families  of  the  Indians  who  hunt  in  the  vicinity. 
One  of  tliern  could  s[)eak  a  little  Chinook.  As  I  liad  two 
men  with  me  who  understood  his  jaru^on  perfectly,  with  their 
assistance  I  tried  to  ^a't  some  inl'ornuition  from  him  about 
the  river,  lie  told  me  tlu^  river  was  easy  to  ascend,  and 
presented  the  same  appearance  eight  days  journey  up  as  at 
the  mouth  ;  then  a  lake  was  reached,  whicdi  took  one  day 
to  cross  ;  the  river  was  then  followed  again  for  lialf  a  day 
to  another  hike,  which  took  two  days  to  traverse  :  into  this 
lake  emptied  a  stream  which  they  used  asahigliway  to  the 
coast,  passing  by  way  of  the  Taku  l?iver.  lie  said  it  took 
four  days  when  they  had  loads  to  carry,  from  the  head  of 
canoe  navigation  on  the  Teslintoo  to  salt  water  on  the  Taku 
Inlet ;  but  when  tliey  come  light  they  take  only  one  to  two 
days,  lie  spoke  also  of  a  stream  entering  the  hirge  lake 
from  the  east  which  came  from  a  distance  ;  but  they  did 
not  seem  to  know  much  about  it,  and  considered  it  outside 
tlieir  country.  If  their  time  intervals  are  ai)proximately 
accurate,  they  mean  that  there  are  about  ;^00  miles  of  good 
river  to  the  first  lake,  as  they  ought  easily  to  make  25  miles 
a  day  on  the  river  as  I  saw  it.  The  lake  takes  one  day  to 
traverse,  and  is  at  least  25  miles  long,  followed  by  say  13 
of  river,  which  brings  us  to  the  large  lake,  which  takes  two 
days  to  cross,  say  oO  or  00  more — in  all  about  2\)2  miles — 
say  300  to  the  head  of  canoe  navigation  ;  while  the  distance 
from  the  head  of  Lake  Bennet  to  the  junction  is  oniy  188. 
Assuming  the  course  of  the  Teslintoo  to  be  nearly  south 


KLOXDYKE  FACTS. 


68 


■  • 


(it  is  11  littlo  to  tlio  east  of  it),  jiiid  throwing  out  every 
fourtli  mile  for  bends,  tlu;  rciiiiiindcr  ^aves  us  in  arc  three 
(lt'«;r(H's  and  a  quarter  of  latitude,  which,  deducted  from 
01°  4()',  the  latitude  of  the  junction,  gives  \i&  58""  '^b',  or 
nearly  t  lo  latitude  of  Juneau. 

*'  T'-  make  sure  that  [understood  ti.o Indian  aright,  aiul 
that  he  knew  what  he  was  speaking  about,  I  got  him  to 
sketch  the  river  and  lake,  as  he  described  them,  on  the 
sand,  and  repeat  the  same  several  times. 

**  I  afterwards  met  Mr.  T.  Boswell,  his  brother,  and  an- 
other miner,  who  had  spent  most  of  the  summer  on  the 
river  prospecting,  aiul  from  them  I  gathered  the  following  : 

*'  The  distance  to  the  first,  and  only  lake  which  they  saw, 
they  i;ut  at  175  miles,  and  the  lake  itself  they  call  at 
least  150  miles  long,  as  it  took  them  four  days  to  row  in  a 
light  boat  from  end  to  end.  The  portage  to  the  sea  they 
did  not  appear  to  know  anything  about,  but  describe  a 
large  bay  on  the  east  side  of  the  lake,  into  which  a  river  of 
considerable  size  entered.  This  river  occupies  a  wide 
valley,  surrounded  by  high  mountains.  They  thought  this 
rive  I*  must  head  near  Liard  Kiver.  This  account  differs 
materially  from  that  given  by  the  Indian,  and  to  put  them 
on  their  guard,  I  told  them  what  he  had  told  me,  but  they 
still  persisted  in  their  story,  which  I  find  differs  a  good 
deal  from  the  account  they  gave  Dr.  Dawson,  as  incorpo- 
rated in  his  report. 

*'  Many  years  ago,  sixteen  I  think,  a  man  named  Monroe 
prospected  up  the  Taku  and  learned  from  tlie  Indians 
something  of  a  large  lake  not  far  from  that  river.  He 
crossed  over  and  found  it,  and  spent  some  time  in  prospect- 
ing, and  then  recrossed  to  the  sea.  This  man  had  been  at 
Forty  Mile  River,  and  I  heard  from  the  miners  there  his 
account  of  the  appearance  of  the  lake,  which  amounted 
generally  to  this  :  The  Boswells  did  not  know  anything 
about  it."    It  was  unfortunate  the  Boswells  did  not  remain 


64 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


11 


at  Forty  Mile  all  winter,  as  by  a  comparison  of  recollections 
they  might  have  arrived  at  some  correct  conclusion. 

**  Conflicting  as  these  descriptions  are,  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain :  tills  Inmcli,  if  it  has  not  the  greater  discharge,  is  the 
longer  and  more  important  of  the  two,  and  offers  easy 
and  uninterrupted  navigation  for  more  than  double  the 
distance  which  the  Lewes  does,  the  ctiflon  being  only  ninety 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  tb^^  Teslintoo.  The  Boswells 
reported  it  as  containing  much  niuie  useful  timber  than 
t)\e  Lewes,  which  indeed  one  would  infer  from  its  lower 
altitude. 

"Assuming  this  as  the  main  river,  and  adding  its  length 
to  the  Lewes-Yukon  below  the  junction,  gives  upward  of 
2,200  miles  of  river,  fully  two-thirds  of  which  runs  through 
a  very  mountainous  country,  without  an  impediment  to 
navigation. 

'*  Some  indefinite  information  was  obtain»^d  as  to  the 
position  of  this  river  in  the  neighborliood  of  Marsh  Lake 
tending  to  show  that  the  distance  between  them  Avas  only 
about  thirty  or  forty  miles. 

**  Betvv'oon  the  Teslintoo  and  the  Big  Salmon,  so  called  by 
the  miners,  or  D'Abbadie  by  Schwatka,  the  distance  is 
thirty-three  and  a-half  miles,  in  which  the  I^ewes  preserves 
a  generally  uniform  width  and  current.  For  a  few  miles 
below  the  Teslintoo  it  is  a  little  over  the  ordinary  width, 
but  then  contracts  to  about  two  hundre(l  yards  which  it 
maintains  with  little  variation.  The  cu/rent  is  generally 
from  four  to  five  miles  per  hour. 

'*  The  Big  Salmon  I  found  to  be  about  one  hundred  yards 
wide  near  the  mouth,  the  depth  not  more  than  four  or  five 
feet,  and  the  current,  so  far  as  could  be  seen,  sluggish. 
None  of  the  miners  I  met  could  give  me  any  information  ccm- 
cerning  tliis  stream  ;  but  Dr.  Dawson  was  more  fortunate, 
and  met  a  man  who  had  spent  most  of  the  summer  of  1887 
prospecting  on  it,     llis  opinion  wiw  that  it  might  bo  uavi- 


klonjjyke  facts. 


66 


piblo  for  small  sterii-wlieel  steiimers  for  many  miles. 
'IMio  valley,  as  seen  from  the  month,  is  wide,  and  gives  one 
the  impression  of  being  oecuipied  l)y  a  mnch  more  impor- 
tant stream.  Looking  nj)  it,  in  the  distance  could  be  seen 
many  higli  peaks  covered  with  snow.  As  the  date  was 
August  it  is  likely  they  arc  always  so  covered,  which  would 
make  tlieir  probable  altitude  above  the  river  5,000  feet 
or  more. 

"  Dr.  Dawson,  in  his  report,  incorporates  fully  the  notes 
obtained  from  the  miners.  I  will  trespass  so  far  on  these 
as  to  .ay  tluit  they  called  the  distance  to  a  small  lake  near 
the  head  of  the  river,  l'.)0  miles  from  the  mouth.  This 
lake  was  estinuited  to  be  four  miles  in  length  ;  another  lake 
about  l;i  miles  above  this  was  estimated  to  be  twenty-four 
mik's  long,  and  its  ui)[)er  end  distant  only  about  eigiifc 
miles  from  tiie  'J'eslintoo.  These  distances,  if  correct, 
make  tiiis  river  mu(;ii  more  im})ortant  than  a  casual  glance 
at  it  would  indicate  ;  tliis,  however,  will  be  more  fully 
spoken  of  under  its  proper  head. 

'*  Just  below  the  Jiig  Sahnon  the  Lewes  takes  a  bend  of 
nearly  a  right  angle.  Its  course  from  the  junction  with 
the  Tahkeeiui  to  *,ii  is  point  is  generally  a  little  east  of  north  ; 
at  this  point  it  turns  to  neai'iy  west  for  sonu' distance.  Its 
course  between  here  and  its  confluence  with  the  Pelly  is 
north-west,  and,  I  may  add,  it  preserves  this  general  direc- 
tion down  to  the  confluence  with  the  Porcupine.  The 
river  also  changes  in  aiu)ther  respect ;  it  is  generally  wider, 
and  often  expands  into  wiiat  might  bo  called  lakes,  in 
which  are  islands.  Soiiu'  <d*  the  lakes  are  of  considerable 
lei  gth,  and  well  timbered. 

**  To  determine  which  channel  is  the  main  one,  that  is, 
which  carries  tin*  greatest  volume  of  water,  or  is  best  avail- 
able for  the  purposes  of  mivigation,  among  these  islands, 
weuld  require  more  time  than  I  could  devote  to  it  on  my 
wuy  down  ;  consequently  I  cannot  say  more  thau  that  1  liavt 


66 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


W 


no  reason  to  doubt  tliat  a  clianncl  giving  six  feet  or  more 
of  water  could  easily  be  found.  Whenever,  in  the  main 
channel,  I  had  reason  to  think  the  water  shallow.  1  ti'icd 
it  with  my  paddle,  but  always  failed  to  find  bottom,  which 
gives  upward  of  six  feet.  Of  course  I  often  found  less  than 
this,  but  not  in  what  I  considered  the  main  channel. 

"Thirty-six  and  a  quarter  miles  below  the  IJig  Salmon, 
the  Little  Salmon — the  Daly  of  Schwatka — enters  the 
Lewes.  This  river  is  about  GO  yards  wide  at  the  mouth, 
and  not  more  than  two  or  three  feet  in  depth.  The  water 
is  clear  and  of  a  brownish  hue  ;  there  is  not  much  current 
at  the  mouth,  nor  as  far  as  can  be  seen  up  the  stream. 
The  valley  which,  from  the  mouth,  does  not  appear  ex- 
tensive, bears  northeiiiit  for  some  distance,  when  it  ap- 
pears to  turn  more  to  the  east.  Six  or  seven  miles  uj),  and 
apparently  on  the  north  side,  some  high  cliffs  of  red 
rock,  aiij)arently  granite,  can  be  seen.  It  is  said  that 
some  miners  have  prospected  this  stream,  but  I  could  learn 
nothing  definite  about  it. 

*'  Lewes  River  makes  a  turn  liere  to  the  southwest,  and 
runs  in  that  direction  six  miles,  when  it  again  turns  to  the 
northwest  for  seven  miles,  and  then  makes  a  short,  sharp 
turn  to  the  south  and  Avest  around  a  low  sandy  point, 
which  will,  at  some  day  in  the  near  future,  be  cut  through 
by  the  current,  which  will  shorten  the  river  three  or  four 
miles. 

**  Eight  miles  below  Little  Salmon  River,  a  large  rock 
called  the  Eagle's  Nest,  stauvls  up  in  a  gravel  slope  on  the 
easterly  ])ank  of  the  river.  It  rises  about  five  hundred 
feet  above  the  "'ver,  and  is  c()m})osed  of  a  light  gray  stone. 
What  the  character  of  this  ro(!k  is!  could  not  observe,  as  I 
saw  it  oidy  from  the  river,  whicii  is  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  distant.  On  the  westerly  side  of  the  river  there  are 
two  or  three  other  isolated  masses  of  apparently  the 
same  kind  of  rock.     Ouo  of  them  might  be  appropriately 


.jff^ 


KLONDIKE  FACTS. 


67 


rt'il 
no. 

IS  I 

f  a 
are 
the 
elv 


called  a  mountain  ;  it  is  soutli-wcst  from  tho  Eagle's  Xest 
and  distant  fro:n  it  about  three  miles. 

"  Thirty-two  miles  below  Eagle's  Nest  Kock,  Nordenskiold 
River  enters  from  the  west.  It  is  an  unimportant  stream, 
being  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide  at 
the  moutli,  and  only  a  few  inches  deep.  The  valley,  .is  far 
as  can  be  seen,  is  not  extensive,  and,  being  very  crooked,  it 
is  hard  to  tell  wliat  its  general  <lirection  is. 

"Tlie  Lewes,  between  the  Litth' Salmon  and  the  Nor- 
denskiold, maintains  a  width  of  from  two  to  three  hundred 
yards,  with  an  occasional  expansion  M'liere  tlierc  are 
ishuids.  It  is  serpentine  in  its  course  most  of  tlie  way, 
and  where  the  XonhMiskiold  joins  it  is  very  crooked,  run- 
ning several  times  under  a  hill,  named  by  Schwatka  Tan- 
talus Uutte,  aud  in  other  places  leaving  it,  for  a  distance 
of  eight  miles.  The  distance  across  from  point  to  point 
is  only  half  a  mile. 

*' Below  this  to  Five  Finger  l\a})ids,  so-called  from  the 
fact  that  five  large  masses  of  rock  stand  in  mid-channel, 
the  river  assumes  its  ordinary  straightness  and  width,  with 
a  cui  rent  from  four  to  live  miles  per  hour.  I  have  already 
described  Five  Finger  Rapids  ;  I  do  not  think  they  will 
prove  anything  more  than  a  slight  obstruction  in  the 
navigation  of  the  river.  A  boat  of  ordinary  power  would 
prol)ably  have  to  help  herself  up  with  windlass  and  line  in 
high  water. 

"  lielow  the  rapids,  for  about  two  miles,  tho  current  is 
strong — probably  six  miles  ])cr  hour — but  the  water  seems 
to  be  deep  enough  for  any  boat  that  is  likely  toiuivigato  it. 

*'  Six  miles  below  this,  as  already  noticed,  Rink  liapids 
are  situate* I.  'I'hey  are  of  no  great  importance,  the 
westerly  half  of  the  stream  onlv  being  obstru<'ted.  Tho 
easterly  half  is  not  in  any  way  allected,  the  current  being 
smooth  and  the  water  deep. 

**  Below  Five  Finger  Rapids  about  two   miles  a  small 


68 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


stiTJitii  eutorH  from  tlie  east.  It  is  called  by  Dr.  Dawson 
Tutsliuii  h'iver.  It  is  not  more  than  3U  or  40  feet  wide  at 
tlie  mouth,  and  contains  only  a  little  clear,  brownisli  water. 
Here  I  met  the  only  Indians  seen  on  the  river  l)etween 
TesHntoo  and  Stewart  Rivers.  They  were  engaged  in 
catching  salmon  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tatshun,  and  were 
the  poorest  and  most  unintelligent  Indians  it  has  ever 
been  my  lot  to  meet.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  none  of 
our  ])arty  understood  anytliing  they  said,  as  they  could 
not  speak  a  word  of  any  language  but  their  own.  I  tried 
by  signs  to  get  sonu^  information  from  them  about  the 
stream  tlu'y  were  flsliing  in,  but  failed.  I  tried  in  the 
same  way  to  learn  if  tliere  were  any  more  Indians  in  the 
viciuity,  but  again  utterly  failed.  I  then  tried  by  signs  to 
find  out  how  many  days  it  took  to  go  down  to  Pelly  River, 
but  althougli  I  liave  never  known  these  signs  co  fail  in 
eliciting  information  in  any  other  part  of  the  territory, 
they  did  not  uiulerstaiid.  I'hey  appeared  to  be  alarmed 
by  our  presence  ;  and,  as  we  had  not  yet  been  assured  as 
to  the  rumor  concerning  the  trouble  between  the  miners 
and  Indians,  we  felt  a  litth;  a[)})rehensive,  but  being  able 
to  learn  iu)thing  from  them  we  had  to  put  our  fears  aside 
and  proceed  blindly. 

**  Between  Five  Finger  l\ai)i(ls  aiitl  IN'lly  River,  lifty- 
eight  and  a  hali'-miles,  no  streams  of  any  importance  enter 
the  IjCWcs  ;  in  fai't,  with  the  exception  of  the  Tatshun,  it 
may  be  said  that  none  at  all  enter. 

"About  a  mile  below  Rink  Iia})ids  the  river  spreads  out 
into  a  lake-like  expanse,  with  many  islands  ;  tliis  continues 
for  about  three  miles,  when  it  contracts  to  something  like 
the  usual  width  ;  but  bars  and  small  islands  are  very 
numerous  all  the  way  to  Pelly  River.  About  live  miles 
above  Pelly  River  there  is  another  hike-like  exi)anse  tilled 
with  islands.  The  river  here  for  three  or  four  miles  is 
nearly  a  mile  wide,  uud  so  numerous  «ud  close  are  th» 


•    '   > 


KL  OX  I)  YKK  FA  CTS. 


69 


islands  tluit  it  is  impossible  to  tell  when  floating  among 
them  where  the  sliores  (>(  the  river  arc.  The  current,  too, 
is  swift,  leading  one  to  siip]»osc  tiie  water  shallow  ;  hut  I 
think  even  liere  a  channel  deej)  eiiongh  for  sueh  boats  as 
will  luivigate  this  part  of  the  riv  jr  can  hv  found.  Schwatka 
named  this  group  of  islands  "  fngersoll  Islands." 

**  At  the  mouth  of  the  Pelly  the  Lewes  is  about  half  a 
mile  wide,  aiul  here  too  there  are  manv  islands,  but  not 
in  groups  as  at  Ingersoll  Islands. 

"About  a  mile  below  the  Pelly,  just  at  the  ruins  of  Fort 
Selkirk,  the  Yukon  was  found  to  be  itf]!)  yards  wide  ;  about 
two-thirds  ))eing  ten  feet  deep,  with  a  current  of  about 
four  and  three-cpuirter  miles  per  hour  ;  the  remaining 
third  was  more  than  half  taken  up  by  a  bar,  and  the 
current  between  it  and  the  south  shore  was  very  slack. 

**  Pelly  River  at  its  mouth  is  about  two  hundred  yards 
wide,  and  continues  this  width  as  far  up  as  could  be  seen. 
Dr.  Dawson  made  a  survey  and  examination  of  this  river, 
which  will  bo  found  in  his  re})ort  already  cited,  ''  Yukon 
District  and  Northern  liritish  (Jolumbia." 

"  Just  here  for  a  short  distance  the  course  of  the  Yukon 
ib  nearlv  west,  and  on  the  soutli  side,  about  a  mile  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Lewes,  stands  all  that  remains  of  the  oidy 
trading  post  ever  built  by  white  men  in  the  district.  This 
post  was  established  by  Robert  Cam})bell,  for  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  in  the  summer  of  1S48.  It  was  first  built  on 
the  point  of  land  between  the  two  rivers,  but  this  location 
proving  untenable  on  account  of  Hooding  by  ice  jams  in  the 
spring,  it  was,  in  the  season  of  185;^,  moved  across  the  river 
to  where  the  ruins  now  stand.  It  ap})ears  that  the  houses 
composing  the  post  were  not  finished  when  the  Indians 
from  the  coast  on  Chilkat  and  Chilkoot  Inlets  came  down 
the  river  to  put  a  stop  to  the  competitive  trade  which  Mr. 
Campbell  hud  inaugurated,  and  which  they  found  to 
seriously  intefere  with  their  prolits.    Their  meti'od  of  trudo 


70 


KLONDYKK  FACTS. 


appears  to  have  been  tluMi  })rt'tly  niiicli  as  it  is  now — very 
oiH^sided.  Wliat  they  round  it  convcnit'nt  lo  take  by 
force  they  took,  and  wiiat  it  was  convenient  to  pay  for  at 
their  own  price  tliey  i)aid  for. 

'*  Iii'»nors  liad  readied  the  post  tliat  the  (-oast  Indians 
eontemphited  such  a  raid,  and  in  conse(|uence  the  native 
Indians  in  tlie  vicinity  remained  about  nearly  all  suniiner. 
Unfortunately,  they  went  away  for  a  shoi't  time.  ;ind  (hir- 
'm<i;  tlieir  absence  the  coast  Indians  arriveil  iii  the  early 
niornin<j,  and  surprised  Mr.  ('am])bell  in  bed.  They  were 
not  at  all  rou<,di  with  him,  but  ^^ave  him  the  ]>rivih\i;'c  of 
leavin<j^  the  phuse  within  twenty-four  hours,  after  which 
he  was  informed  that  he  was  liable  to  be  shot  if  vseen  Ijy 
them  in  the  locality.  'I'hey  men  i)ill:iged  the  place  and 
set  tire  to  it,  leavinji^  nothin<j:  but  the  renuiins  of  the  two 
chimneys  which  are  still  standin<j^.  This  raid  and  capture 
took  place  on  the  1st  Auf:just,  is,")-.'. 

"  Mr.  Campbell  dropped  down  the  river,  and  met  some  of 
the  local  Iiulians  who  returned  witli  him,  but  the  robbers 
had  made  their  escape.  I  have  heard  tiuit  the  local  Indians 
wished  to  pursue  and  overtake  them,  but  to  this  Mr. 
Campbell  would  not  consent.  Had  they  done  so  it  is 
probable  not  many  of  the  raiders  wouhl  have  escii})ed,  as 
the  suj)erior  local  knowledii'e  of  tiu'  natives  wouhl  have 
given  them  an  advantage  ditlicult  to  estimate,  and  the 
eonlldence  and  s})irit  derived  from  the  aid  and  jjresence  of 
a  white  man  or  two  would  be  worth  much  in  siudi  a 
conflict. 

'*  Mr.  Campbell  went  on  down  the  riv(M"  until  he  met  the 
outfit  for  hib  i)ost  on  its  way  up  fi'om  I'ort  Yukon,  which 
lie  turned  back.  He  then  ascended  tiu'  i'elly,  crossed  to 
the  Liard,  and  reached  Fort  Simpson,  on  the  Mackenzie, 
late  iu  October. 

*' Mr.  Campbeirs  first  visit  to  the  site  of  Fort  Selkirk 
was   made  in  1840,  under    instructions  from    Sir  (Jeorge 


KLOSDYKE  FACTS. 


71 


Simpson,  tlioii  (lovcnior  of  t'lc  lliidson's  Bay  Conipany. 
He  crossed  from  tlu*  lu'jid  Wiiti-isof  the  Liard  to  tlio  wutcrs 
of  tlic  I'clly.  It  iippoarsthc  IV'lly,  where  lu>struek  it.  was  a 
stream  of  oonsideral)le  size,  for  lie  speaks  of  its  aitpearance 
wlieii  lie  first  saw  it  from  *  I'elly  Hanks,'  the  name  ^iven 
the  baidv  from  whicli  he  first  helield  it,  as  a  'splendid 
river  in  the  distance.'  In  .Tnne,  \M'.],  he  descended  the 
Polly  to  its  conlliience  with  the  laru^er  stream,  whi(di  ho 
named  the  '  Lowes.'  Hero  ho  fonnd  many  families  o*'  the 
native  Indians — '  Wood  Indians,'  he  called  them.  Theso 
poojile  conveyed  to  him,  as  host  they  conld  hy  word  and 
si^Mi,  the  dan^jers  that  would  attend  a  further  descent  of 
tho  river,  represontini^  that  the  country  holow  theirs  was 
inhahit.'d  hy  atrihe  of  lierce  cannihals,  who  would  assuredly 
kill  and  oat  them.  This  so  terriliecl  his  men  that  he  had 
to  return  ])y  the  way  ho  came,  pursued,  as  ho  afterwards 
learned,  l)y  the  Indians,  who  would  have  nnirdored  him- 
self and  party  had  they  jj^ot  a  favorahlo  opportunity.  Thus 
it  Avas  not  until  1<S5()  that  he  could  ostahlish,  what  he  says 
he  all  aloni;  heliovod,  *  that  tho  Polly  and  VukoJi  wero 
identical.'  This  lie  did  hy  doscendiiiij  the  river  to  where 
tho  Porcupine  joins  it,  and  where  in  1S47  Fort  Yukon 
was  ostahlished  hy  Mr.  A.  II.  Murray  for  tho  Hudson's  Bay 
Com})any. 

**  With  reference  to  th(!  tales  told  him  hy  the  ludian.s 
of  had  pco})le  outside  of  their  country,  I  may  say  that 
Mackenzie  tells  ])retty  mmdi  the  same  story  of  the  Indians 
on  the  Mackenzie  when  he  discovcrc(l  juul  e.\}»l(»rt'd  that 
river  iu  lis'.).  He  had  the  advanta^((  of  havin<,^  Indians 
iilon^'  with  him  whose  lauifuaufe  was  radically  the  same  as 
that  of  tho  })eople  he  was  comin<,^  amoni;^,  and  his  state- 
ments are  nH)re  explicit  and  detailed.  Kverywhoro  he 
came  iu  contact  with  them  they  manifested,  first,  dread  of 
himself  and  party,  and  when  friendship  and  eontidoneo 
were  ostahlished  they  nearly  always  tried  to  detain  him  by 


72 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


representing  tlie  pooplo  in  i\w  direction  ho  was  going  as 
unnaturally  bloodthirsty  and  cruel,  sometimes  asserting 
the  existence  of  monsters  with  suj)ernatural  powers,  as  at 
Manitou  Island,  a  I'ew  miles  l)elow  the;  present  Fort  (Jood 
IFope,  and  tlie  jx'oph^  on  a  very  hirge  river  far  to  tlie  west 
of  tlie  Mackenzie,  prohahly  the  Vuk(>n,  they  described  to 
him  iis  monsters  in  size,  power  and  (M'uelty. 

"  In  our  own  time,  after  the  intercourse  that  there  lias 
hcvu  l)etween  tliem  and  the  whites,  more  than  a  s.ispicion 
of  such  unknown,  cruel  peoph^  lurks  in  the  minds  of  many 
of  the  Indians.  It  wouhl  he  futile  for  me  to  try  to  ascril)e 
an  origin  for  these  fears,  my  knowledge  of  their  language 
and  idio;;yncrasie8  being  so  limited. 

**  Nothing  more  was  ever  done  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort 
Selkirk  *  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  after  these  events, 
and  in  1S(J()  the  Company  was  ordered  by  Cai)t.  Charles 
W.  Kaymond,  who  represented  the  United  States  Covern- 
ment,  to  evacuate  the  post  at  Fort  Yukon,  he  having 
found  that  it  was  west  of  the  l-41st  meridian.  ^Phe  post 
was  occupied  by  the  Company,  however,  for  some  time 
after  the  receipt  of  tliis  order,  and  until  Kiimpart  House 
was  built,  which  was  intended  to  bo  on  British  territory, 
and  to  take  the  trade  previously  done  at  Fort  Yukon. 

"  Under  present  conditions  the  Company  cannot  very 
well  compete  with  the  Alaska  Commercial  Company, 
whose  agents  do  the  oidy  trade  in  the  district,!  and  they 
api>ear  to  have  abandoned — for   the  j)resent  at  least — all 


*This  is  now  a  winter  port  for  Hteaniluuts  of  the  North  Ameri- 
can Transportation  and  TraiUnj?  ('(jnipany,  plyinj:;  the  Yukon  and 
its  tributaries.  Tliere  is  also  a  trading  post  here  owned  by 
Har|)er  &  Ladue. 

f  Since  the  date  of  this  report  tlie  North  American  Transport- 
ation and  Trading  Company,  better  known  in  the  Yukon  valley 
as  "  Captain  Healy's  Company,"  has  established  a  number  of  ix)8t8 
on  the  river. 


KLOyUYKK  FACTS. 


73 


attempt  to  do  any  trade  m-arcr  to  it  than  IJanipart  House 
to  wlik!li  point,  notwithstanding  tiu'  distance  and  ditVicul- 
ties  ill  the  way,  many  of  tlie  Indians  on  tiie  Yukon  make 
a  trip  every  two  or  three  years  to  j)ro(!ure  <j^oods  in  ex- 
chan<,a!  for  th<'ir  furs.  'Vhv  clotluni,'  and  hhmkets  brou<;ht 
in  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Coinpany  they  chum  are  mucii 
better  tlum  thos(^  traded  on  their  own  river  by  tlie  Ameri- 
cans. Those  of  them  that  I  saw  wlio  l»ad  anv  Kni^iish 
blankets  exhibited  them  witli  j)ride,and  exchumed  'good.' 
'I'hey  point  to  an  American  l)hinket  in  contempt,  witli  tlie 
remark  Mio  good/  and  speak  of  tlieir  ck)thing  in  the 
same  way. 

*'  On  nnmy  maps  of  Ahiska  a  place  named  '  Keed's 
House '  is  sliown  on  or  near  the  ujtper  waters  of  Stewart 
Kiver.  I  made  enquiries  of  all  whom  I  thought  likely  to 
know  anything  con(;erning  this  post,  but  failed  to  elicit 
any  infornuition  showing  that  there  ever  had  been  such  a 
place.  I  enquired  of  Mr.  Keid,  who  Avas  in  the  Company's 
service  with  Mr.  Camj)bell  at  Fort  Selkirk,  and  after 
whom  I  thought,  possibly,  the  i)lace  had  been  called,  but 
he  told  me  he  knew  of  no  such  jxist,  but  thiit  there  was  a 
small  lake  at  some  distancre  in  a  iu)rtherly  directi(Hi  from 
l''ort  Selkirk,  wlu're  lish  were  procured.  A  sort  of  shelter 
had  been  nuide  at  that  point  for  the  llshermen,  and  a  few 
furs  might  have  been  obtained  there,  but  it  was  never 
regarded  as  a  trading  post. 

"  Below  Fort  Selkirk,  the  Yukon  Kiver  is  from  five  to 
six  liuiulred  vards  broad,  and  maintains  this  width  down 
to  White  Kiver,  a  distance  of  ninetv-six  miles.  Islaiuls 
are  numerous,  so  much  so  that  there  are  very  few  parts  of 
the  river  where  there  are  not  one  or  more  in  sight.  Many 
of  them  are  of  considerable  size,  and  nearly  all  are  well 
timbered.  Bars  are  also  numerous,  but  almost  all  arc 
composed  of  gravel,  so  that  navigators  will  not  have  to 
complain  of  shifting  sand  bars.     The  current  as  a  general 


H 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


tiling,  is  not  ko  rapid  as  in  tlio  upper  part  of  the  river, 
averaging  a])oiit  four  miles  per  hour.  The  (le])tli  in  the 
nuiin  ehannel  was  always  found  to  be  more  than  six  feet. 

"From  Pelly  Kiver  to  within  twelve  miles  of  White 
lliver  the  general  eourse  of  the  river  is  a  little  north  of 
■west ;  it  then  turns  to  tlic  north,  and  the  general  eourse 
as  far  as  Uw.  site  of  Fort  Kelianoe  is  due  north. 

**  White  Eiver  enters  the  main  river  from  the  west.  At 
the  mouth  it  is  al)out  two  hundred  yards  wide,  l)ut  a 
great  part  of  it  is  filled  with  ever-shifting  sand-bars,  the 
main  volume  of  water  being  eontined  to  a  ehannel  not 
more  tluin  one  luindred  yards  in  width.  The  current  is 
very  strong,  certaiidy  not  less  than  eight  miles  jn-r  hour. 
The  eoh)r  of  the  water  bears  witness  to  this,  as  it  is  much 
the  muddiest  that  I  have  ever  seen.* 

**  I  had  intended  to  nuike  a  survey  of  part  of  this  river  .is 
far  as  the  Interiuitional  Boundary,  and  attemi)ted  to  do 
so  ;  but  after  trying  for  over  half  a  day,  I  found  it  would 
be  a  task  of  much  labor  and  time,  altogether  out  of  i)ro- 
po.rtion  to  the  importance  of  the  end  sought,  and  therefore 
abandoned  it.  The  valley  as  far  as  can  be  seen  from  the 
mouth,  runs  about  due  west  for  a  distance  of  eight  miles  ; 
it  then  appears  to  bear  to  the  south-west ;  it  is  about  two 
miles  wide  where  it  joins  the  Pelly  valley  and  apparently 
keeps  the  same  width  as  far  as  it  can  be  seen. 

''Mr.  llar})er,  of  the  firm  of  Harper  &  Ladue,  went  up 
tliis  river  with  sleds  in  the  fall  of  187^  a  distance  of  iifty  or 
sixty   miles.      lie   describes     it   as   possessing   the    same 

*Tlie  White  River  very  probably  flows  over  volcanic  deposits 
as  its  sediments  would  indicate  ;  no  doubt  this  would  account  for 
the  disc  /ioration  of  its  waters.  The  volcanic  ash  appears  to 
cover  a  great  extent  of  the  Upix-r  Yukovi  basin  drained  by  the 
Lewes  and  Pelly  Rivers.  Very  full  treatment  of  the  subject  is 
given  by  Dr.  Dawson,  in  his  report  entitled  "Yukon  District  and 
Northern  jmrtion  of  British  Columbia." 


Hi 


KL  OND  Yli E  FA  CTS. 


75 


g(MH'ral  fciitiircs  all  the  way  up,  with  imicli  cluy  soil  alon^ 
its  banks.  Its  ^rciuTal  course,  as  sketciicd  by  liini  on  a 
iiiajt  of  iniiu',  is  for  a  distaiicc  of  al)out  thirty  miles  u  little 
north-west,  thence  south-west  tliirty  or  tliirty-tive  miles, 
when  it  dellects  to  the  north-west  runnin;;  alon^'  the  base 
of  a  higli  mountain  ri(l<;e.  If  the  courses  given  are 
correct  it  must  rise  somewhere  near  the  head  of  Forty  Mile 
Hiver  ;  and  if  so,  it-;  len<;tli  is  not  at  all  in  keej)inp  with 
the  volume  of  itsdisrharjje,  wluii  compared  with  tlu' known 
lenjrth  and  dischar«;e  of  other  rivers  in  the  territorv.  Mr. 
JIari)cr  mentioned  an  extensive  flat  south  of  the  mountain 
ran<;e  spoken  of,  across  which  numy  hi<^h  mountain  j  eaks 
(;ould  l)c  seen.  One  of  these  he  thou,i(ht  nmst  be  Mount 
St.  Elias,  as  it  overtop))e(l  all  the  others  ;  but,  as  Mount 
St.  Elias  is  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  distant, 
his  conclusion  is  not  tenable.  From  his  descri})tion  of 
this  mountain  it  must  bo  more  than  twice  the  height  of 
the  highest  peaks  seen  anywhert^  on  the  lower  river,  and 
consequently  must  bo  ten  <»r  twelve  thousand  feet  above 
the  sea.  lie  stated  that  the  current  in  the  river  was  very 
swift,  as  far  as  he  ascended,  and  the  water  muddy.  The 
water  from  this  river,  though  jirobably  not  a  fourtb  of  the 
volume  of  the  Yukon,  discolors  the  water  of  the  latter 
com])letely  :  and  a  couple  of  miles,  below  the  junction  the 
whole  river  apjtears  almost  as  dirty  as  AVhite  Hiver. 

"  Between  White  and  Stewart  Kivers,  ten  miles,  the 
river  spreads  out  to  a  mile  and  upwards  in  width,  and  is  a 
nuize  of  islands  and  bars.  The  survey  was  carried  down 
the  easterly  shore,  and  many  of  the  channels  ])assed  through 
barely  alTorded  water  enough  to  float  the  canoes.  The 
nuiin  channel  is  along  the  westerly  shore,  down  which  the 
large  boat  ^Ycnt,  and  the  crew  rei>orted  plenty  of  water. 

*'  Stewart  Kiver  enters  from  the  cast  in  the  middle  of 
a  wide  valley,  with  low  hills  on  both  sides,  rising  on  the 
north  sides  in  steps  or  terraces  to  distant  hills  of  consider- 


76 


KL Oy nVK K  FA CTS, 


ul)lu  lit'i^'lit.  The  rivor  lialf  a  niik'or  so  iihove  tlio  mouthy 
is  two  huiulrcd  yards  in  width.  Tho  ('urrent  is  shick  iind 
the  water  shalh)W  and  dear,  hut  dark  (lolored. 

'•  Wiiiii'  at  the  mouth  I  was  fortunate  enou^jjli  to  meet 
a  juiner  wh(»  iiad  spent  the  whole  of  the  suiurner 
of  1SS7  on  tile  liver  and  its  hrandies  prosj»eetin<,'  and 
e.\|tl(M*in^'.  He  ^'ave  me  a  ;jood  (U-al  of  information  of 
which  I  j^ive  a  suuimarv.  lie  is  a  native  of  \ew  liruns- 
wiek,  Aiexanch-r  M(;|)(»naid  hy  name,  and  has  spent  some 
years  niiniui^  in  other  [)ia<'es.  hut  was  very  reticent  al)out 
what  lie  iuul  math'  or  fouiul.  Sixty  or  seventy  miles  up 
tlu!  Stewart  a  lar^'e  creek  enters  from  the  soutli  whicii  lie 
called  l{ose  Hud  Creek  or  liiver.  and  thirty  or  forty  miles 
further  up  aconsiderahle  stream  Hows  from  the  north-east, 
which  a])pears  to  he  Heaver  River,  as  nuirked  on  the  maps 
of  that  part  of  the  country.  From  the  liead  of  this  stream 
he  lloatetl  down  on  a  raft  taking  live  days  to  do  so.  He 
estimated  Iws  jjrogress  at  f«)rty  or  fifty  miles  each  day, 
which  gives  a  length  of  from  two  hundred  to  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles.  This  is  prohahly  an  over-estimate,  unless 
the  stream  is  very  crooked,  which,  he  stated,  was  not  the 
ease.  As  much  of  his  time  would  betaken  up  in  prospect- 
ing, I  should  call  thirty  miles  or  less  a  closer  estimate  of 
his  progress.  This  river  is  from  fifty  to  eighty  yards  wide 
and  was  never  more  than  four  or  five  feet  deep,  often  being 
not  more  than  two  or  three  ;  the  current,  lie  said,  was  not 
at  all  swift.  Above  the  mouth  of  this  stream  the  main 
river  is  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  yards 
wide  with  an  even  current  and  clear  water.  Sixty  or 
seventy  miles  above  the  last-mentioned  branch  another 
large  branch  joins,  which  is  })ossil)ly  the  main  river.  At 
the  head  of  it  he  found  a  lake  nearly  thirty  miles  long, 
and  averaging  a  mile  and  a  half  in  width,  which  lie  called 
Mayhew  Lake,  after  one  of  the  partners  in  the  firm  of 
Harper,  McQuestion  »t  Co. 


KLOSDYKK  FACTS. 


77 


"Tliirty  miU\s  or  so  above  the;  forks  on  tliootluT  hmnch 
there  are  fulls,  which  McDoiiiild  estiiiiateil  to  he  from  one 
to  two  hundred  feet  in  hei^dit.  I  met  several  parties  who 
iiad  seen  these  falls,  and  they  corroborate  this  estimate  of 
their  hei^^lit.  McDonald  went  on  past  the  falls  to  tho 
head  of  this  branch  and  found  terraee(l  <;ravel  lulls  to  the 
west  and  north  :  he  ('rosse(l  ilicm  to  the  north  and  found 
a  river  flowiiii;  northward.  <>n  this  he  embarl\c(|  on  a  raft 
and  iloated  down  it  for  a  day  or  two.  tiiinkiiiK  it  would 
turn  to  th((  west  and  join  the  Stewart,  but  llndini,^  it  still 
c'ontimiin^'  north,  and  ac(|uirinj,'  too  mucdi  volume  to  be 
any  of  the  branches  ho  had  seen  while  [)assin,<(  n[)  the 
Stewart,  he  returned  to  the  point  of  his  (le[»arture.  and 
after  prospecting  among  the  hills  around  the  head  of  tlu^ 
river,  he  started  westward,  crossing  a  high  range  of  moun- 
tains composed  principally  of  shah-s  with  many  thin  seams 
of  what  lie  called  quartz,  ranging  from  one  to  six  inches 
in  thickness. 

"On  the  west  side  of  this  range  he  found  a  river  flowing 
out  of  what  he  called  ^Eayhew  I^ake,  and  crossing  this  got 
to  the  head  of  lieaver  Kiver,  which  he  descended  as  before 
mentioned. 

*' It  is  prol)able  the  river  flowing  northwards,  on  which 
he  mad(!  a  journey  aiul  returned,  was  a  branch  of  i'ecd 
Uiver.  He  described  the  timber  on  the  gravel  terratu'S  of 
the  watershed  as  small  and  open.  He  v/as  alone  in  this  un- 
known wilde'uess  all  summer,  not  seeing  even  any  of  the 
mitives.  There  are  few  men  so  constituted  as  to  be  ca- 
pable of  isolating  themselves  in  sucdi  a  maniu'r  Judgi.ig 
from  all  I  C(mld  learn  it  is  probable  a  light-drauglit  steam- 
boat could  navigate  nearly  all  of  Stewart  Hiver  and  its 
tributaries. 

*'From  Stewart    River  to    the   site  of  Fort   Reliance,* 

*This  was  at  one  time  a  trading  ix)st  occupied  by  Messrs. 
Harper  &  McQuestion. 


78 


KLoxnvKK  facts;. 


seventy-throe  and  a  (|ujirt('r  miles,  tlie  Yukon  is  ])roa<l  and 
full  of  islands.  The  averaj^'e  width  is  lictwcc  ii  a  half  and 
three  quarters  of  a  mile,  hut  there  arc  many  expansions 
where  it  is  over  a  mile  in  hreadth  ;  however,  in  these  plaees 
it  eannot  he  said  that  the  waterway  is  wider  than  at  other 
parts  of  the  river,  the  islands  hv'iuii;  so  larire  and  numerous. 
In  this  reach  no  streams  of  any  importance  enter. 

**Ahout  thirteen  milis  helow  Stewart  liiver  a  lar^e 
valley  joins  that  of  the  river,  hut  the  stream  occujiyin^j  it 
is  oidy  a  large  creek.  This  a,<j:rees  in  jutsition  with  what 
has  been  called  Sixty  Mde  Creek,  which  v.;is  supposed  to 
he  ahout  tluit  distanci'  ahove  Fort  Kclianc.'c,  hut  it  does 
not  agree  with  descriptions  whicli  T  received  of  it  ;  more- 
over as  Sixty  Mile  Creek  is  known  t.>  he  a  stream  <»f  con- 
siderable length,  thi;-i  creek  W(»uld  nr*  answer  its  dcscrij)- 
tion. 

**  Twenty-two  aiul  a  half  miles  fnuu  Stewart  liiver 
another  and  larger  creek  enters  from  tlu  sanu'  si«le  ;  it 
agrees  with  the  descriptions  of  Sixty  Mile  Creek,  and  I 
luive  so  marked  it  on  my  nuip.  This  stream  is  of  no  im- 
portance, except  for  what  mineral  wealth  nuiy  l)e  found 
on  it.* 

**Six  ami  a  half  miles  above  Fort  IJelianc^e  the  Thron- 

*  Sixty  Mile  Creek  is  iiltout  one  Imndred  iiiileH  loiijjj  very 
rr(M)ke«l,  with  a  swift  current  and  iiumy  nipitls.  and  is  tlierefore 
not  easy  to  asccMid. 

Miller,  (Jlacier,  (Jold.  Little  Cold  and  licdrock  (recks  are  all 
tributari«'s  of  Sixty  Mile,  Some  of  the  ricbest  discoveries  in  ^old 
so  far  made  in  the  interior  sin-.-e  ISill  imve  l»ren  upon  these 
creeks,  especially  lias  this  been  ib.'  case  upon  the  two  tirst  men- 
tioned. Tliere  is  ii  claim  upon  >!iller  Creek  owned  by  .losepii 
lUmdrefUi  from  wliieb  over  !jil()(>.0(((>  worlii  of  pild  is  sMd  to  buve 
been  taken  out. 

Freiji;tU  for  tlie  mities  is  taken  up  Forty  ^file  Creek  in  sun<mer 
for  a  distiince  of  30  miles,  then  portaf^ed  across  t(t  the  beads  of 
Miller  ami  Glacier  Creeks.     In  the  winter  it  is  hauled  in  by  dugs. 


•f 


0 
I 


to 


all 


KLONhVKi:  PACTS. 


79 


I       ■* 


. 


4         • 


I)iii('k  *  Kivor  of  the  Iiidijins  (Dt'or  IMvor  of  Scliwiitka) 
enter«  from  tlu-  ^ast.  It  is  a  snuill  r-vcr  about  forty  yards 
wide  at  tlio  moutli,  ajul  sliallow  ;  tlio  water  is  clear  and 
transparent,  and  of  l)eaiitiful  l)lue  color.  'Vlw  Indians 
catch  ji^reat  lUirnbers  of  salmon  here.  They  had  been  llsh- 
ing  shortly  before  my  arrival,  and  the  river,  for  some  dis- 
tance up.  was  full  of  salmon  traps. 

'•^  A  miner  Inul  pros[)e('te(l  up  this  river  for  an  estimated 
distance  (>f  forty  miles,  in  the  season  of  ISST.  I  diil  not 
see  him,  but  ^ot  some  of  his  information  at  se(;ond  hand. 
The  water  bein^  so  beautifully  clear  I  thou^';ht  it  tuust 
come  throu<(li  a  lar^'e  lake  not  far  up  ;  but  as  far  as  he 
had  ^one  no  lakes  were  seen.  He  said  '.le  <'urrent  was 
comparatively  slack,  with  an  occasional  'rip))le  Or  small 
rai»id.  Where  he  turned  back  the  river  is  surrounded  by 
hifijh  mountains,  which  were  then  covered  with  snow, 
which  accounts  for  ti.e  purity  and  clearness  of  the  water. 

The  trip  from  Cudaby  to  the  j)<>st  at  tlie  moutli  of  Sixty  Mile 
River  is  made  Ityjiscendiii;^  Forty  Mile  River  a  small  distance,  mak- 
ing a  short  portaj^e  to  Sixty  Mile  River  and  runuir)}^  dcnvn  with 
its  swift  current.  Comie.^  biK  k  oi\  the  Yukon,  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  round  trip  is  made  down  stream. 

Indian  '..'reek  enters  the  Yukon  from  the  east  about  -iO  miles 
l)elow  Sixty  Mile.  It  is  re|H)rted  to  Ih*  rich  in  j^old,  hut  owing  to 
to  the  scarcity  of  supplies  its  developnuMit  has  heen  retarded. 

At  the  nu)uth  of  Sixty  Mile  (.'reek  a  townsit*'  of  that  nam*'  is 
located,  it  is  tiie  heaihiuarters  for  uj)wards  of  100  niiiiiTs  and 
where  they  more  or  less  assniihle  in  th«'  winter  months. 

Measi-s.  Harper  &  ('o.  have  a  trading  |M)st  and  a  sjiw-niill  on 
an  island  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  both  of  kvliich  are  in  charge 
of  Mr.  J.  La<lue,  one  of  the  partners  of  thr  lirm.  and  wlio  waK 
at  one  time  in  the  empl(>y  of  the  Alaska  ( 'ommerci;il  ( 'om|«»ny. 

*  Dawson  City  is  situated  at  the  moutli  o?'  the  Thron-Diuck 
now  known  as  Klondyke,  and  although  it  was  liM-ated  only  a  few 
months  ago  it  is  tlie  scene  of  great  activity.  Very  rich  de|)ositH 
of  gold  have  he<»n  lately  found  on  Beiumza  Creek  and  other 
affluentii  of  the  Thron-Diuck. 


80 


kiOMjYkt:  kAcTt;. 


"It  «i])j)otirs  that  the  Iiuliaiis  go  up  tliis  stream  a  long 
(listun(;e  to  hunt,  but  I  could  Icani  notliiiig  (Icliiiite  us  to 
tlioir  statements  eoneerning  it, 

*'  Twelve  and  a  half  miles  below  Fort  Kelianee,  the 
Cliandindu  Itiver,  as  named  by  Schwatka,  enters  from  the 
oast.  It  is  tliirty  to  forty  yards  wide  at  the  moutli.  very 
shallow,  and  for  half  a  mile  up  is  one  eontimious  ra|)id. 
its  valley  is  wide  and  can  be  seen  for  a  loni;  distatice  look- 
in*;  north-eastward  from  the  mouth. 

"  Between  Fort  Iielianee  and  Forty  Mile  Iiiver  ((tailed 
CoTie  llill  Iiiver  l)y  tSehwatka)  tlu*  Yukon  assuines  its  nor- 
mal ap}»earanee.  havinj;  fewer  islands  aiid  beiiii;  narrower, 
uverugini;  four  to  six  hundrc*!  yards  wide,  and  the  eurrejit 
being  more  regular.  This  stretch  is  forty-six  nulcs  long, 
but  was  estimated  by  the  traders  at  forty,  from  which  the 
Forty  Mile  Iiiver  took  its  mime. 

'*  Forty  Mile  iiiver*  joins  the  main  river  from  the  west. 
Its  general  course  as  far  upas  the  Jnterui  tional  Houndary, 
u  distance  of  twenty-three  miles,  is  south-. vest ;  after  this 

*  Forty  Mile  townsite  is  situated  on  the  south  sidi'  of  the  Forty 
Mile  River  iit  its  J.mctiou  \v>tli  the  Yukon.  Tlu'  Alaska  ("onuner- 
cial  ('oni|)anv  has  a  station  here  whieh  was  for  some  vears  in 
fharjjje  of  \j.  N.  McQuestion  :  tb.ere  are  also  several  blacksmith 
shops,  restaurants,  hilliard  hills,  hakevies.  iin  opera  house  and  so 
on.  Rather  more  than  half  a  mile  Ik'Iow  Forty  Mile  townsite the 
town  of  Cndahy  was  founded  on  the  north  side  of  Forty  Mile 
River  in  the  siniuner  of  1S!)2.  It  is  named  aft»'r  a  well  known 
ineniher  <»f  the  North  American  Transportation  and  Trailing  t'oni- 
pany.  In  population  and  extent  of  Imsim'ss  tin  town  hears  com- 
jjarison  with  it^  nei>;hhor  across  the  river.  The  opposition  in 
trade  has  heen  tl'c  means  of  vi  r\  materially  reduciiij;  the  cost  of 
supplies  and  livii;i^.  The  North  American  Transportation  and 
Tradinjj;  Company  has  erected  a  saw-mill  and  some  lar^e  ware- 
hou.ses.  Ft>rt  (  onstantine  was  established  he  immediately  upon 
the  aiTival  of  the  Mounted  Police  detachment  in  the  latter  jKirt  of 
July.  1895.  It  is  descrihed  further  on  in  an  extract  from  InsiK?ctor 
Coustantine's  supplementary  report  for  the  year  1895. 


*      1  * 

t 


n 


I 


KLONDVKE  FACTS. 


81 


it  is  reportecl  by  tlio  miiuTs  to  run  nearer  soutli.  Many 
of  tlieni  claim  to  have  ascended  this  stream  for  more  than 
one  liundred  miles,  and  speak  of  it  there  as  quite  a  largo 
river.  They  say  that  at  that  distaiue  it  has  reached  the 
level  of  the  |)lateau.  and  the  country  adjoining  it  tliey 
descrilx^  as  flat  and  swam})y,  rising  very  little  above  the 
river.  It  is  only  a  short  distance  across  to  the  Tanana 
b'iver — a  large  tributary  of  the  Yukon — which  is  liere  de- 
scribed as  an  important  stream:.  However,  only  about 
twerdv-three  miles  of  Forty  Mile  River  are  in  Canada; 
and  the  ui)per  i)art  of  it  and  its  relation  to  other  rivers  in 
the  tlistrict  have  no  direct  interest  for  us. 

"  Forty  Mile  Hiver  is  one  hundred  to  one  liundred  and 
fifty  yards  wide  at  the  mouth,  ai'.'.i  the  current  is  generally 
strong,  with  numy  small  rapids.  Kight  miles  up  is  the 
so-called  cafion  ;  it  is  hardly  entitled  to  that  distinctive 
name,  being  simply  a  crooked  (MUitraction  of  the  river,  with 
stee])  rocky  banks,  and  on  the  north  side  then  is  jjlenty  of 
roo»''  to  walk  along  the  beach.  At  the  lower  enc!  of  the 
caf.  .'  "here  is  a  short  turn  and  swift  water  in  which  are 
sonu' large  rocks;  these  cannot  generally  be  seen,  and  there 
is  much  danger  of  striking  them  running  d(>\vn  in  a  boat. 
At  this  point  several  miners  have  been  drowned  by  their 
boats  being  upset  in  collision  with  th  'se  rocks.  It  is  no 
great  distance  to  either  shore,  and  one  would  think  an 
(U'dinary  swimmer  would  have  no  ditlieulty  in  reaching 
land  :  but  the  >  >ldne»s  of  the  water  auou  benund)s  a  nuin 
€  lUpletely  and  renders  him  powerless.  In  the  summer  of 
1HS7,  an  Indian,  from  Taiuma,  with  his  family,  wj».s  com- 
ing down  to  trade  at  the  j>ost  at  the  mouth  of  Forty  Mile 
Hiver;  his  cam»e  struck  on  these  rocks  and  upset,  an<l  he 
was  thrown  clear  of  the  canoe,  but  the  woman  and  chiMren 
€lung  to  it.  In  the  rough  water  he  hwt  sight  of  them,  and 
concluded  that  they  were  lost  :  it  is  suid  he  deliberately 
drew  his  knife  and  cut  his  throat,  thus  perishing,  while 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


Ilia  fjiniily  wore  hauled  jishorc  by  some  miners.  The  chief 
of  the  blind  to  wliieh  tliis  Indian  Ijelonji^ed  came  to  the  post 
and  demun(h'd  j)ay  for  liis  loss,  which  lie  contended  was 
occjisioned  by  the  traders  having  moved  from  Ik'ile  Isle  to 
Forty  Mile,  thus  causing  them  to  descend  this  (Umgerous 
rapid,  and  there  i?  little  doubt  that  had  there  not  been  so 
many  white  men  in  the  vicinity  he  would  have  tried  to 
enforce  his  denumd. 

"The  length  of  the  so-called  caflon  is  about  a  mile. 
Above  it  the  river  up  to  the  boundary  is  generally  smooth, 
with  swift  curii'iit  and  an  occasional  ripple.  The  amount 
of  water  discharged  by  this  stream  is  (ionsiderablc  ;  but 
there  is  no  prospect  of  navigation,  it  being  so  swift  and 
broken  by  small  rapida. 

'*  From  Forty  Mile  River  to  the  boundary  the  Yukon 
preserves  the  same  general  (duiracter  as  between  Fort  Reli- 
ance and  Forty  Mile,  the  greatest  width  being  about  half 
a  mile  and  the  least  about  a  (luarter. 

Fifteen  miles  below  Forty  .Mile  River  a  large  nuiss  of 
ro(3k  stands  on  the  east  bank.  This  was  named  by 
Schwatka  '  Rociuette  Rock,'  but  is  known  to  the  traders 
as  Old  Wonum  Roek  ;  a  similar  mass,  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  being  known  as  Old  Man  Rock. 

*'Thc  origin  of  these  names  is  an  Indian  legend,  of 
whioh  the  following  is  the  version  given  to  me  by  the 
traders  : — 

**  In  remote  ages  then;  lived  a  powerful  shaman,  pro- 
nounced Tslnunnen  by  the  Indians,  this  being  the  local 
mime  for  what  is  known  as  mcdiciiu'  man  among  the  In- 
ilians  farther  south  and  east.  The  Tshauinen  holds  a  posi- 
tion and  exercises  an  inlluen<'<»  among  the  peojile  he  lives 
with,  something  akin  to  the  wise  men  or  nuigi  of  olden  t  imes 
in  the  East.  In  this  ])owerful  being's  locality  there  lived 
a  poor  man  who  had  the  great  misfortune  to  have  an  invet- 
erate scold  for  a  wife,     lie  bore  the  infliction  for  a  long 


I- 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


83 


time  without  niiirniuriiii^,  in  liopcs  tiiat  she  would  relent, 
but  time  seemed  only  to  increase  tiie  jittliction  :  at  len«,^th, 
growing  weary  of  the  unceasing  torment,  he  complained 
to  the  Tsiiaumen  who  comforted  iiim,  and  sent  him  home 
with  the  assurance  that  all  would  soon  he  well. 

'*  Shortly  after  this  he  went  out  to  hunt,  aiul  remained 
away  for  many  days  endeavoring  to  get  some  provisions 
for  home  use,  hut  without  avail  ;  he  returned  weary  und 
huiiijrv.  oidv  to  be  met  by  his  wife  with  a  more  than 
usually  violent  outburst  of  scohling.  'I'his  so  [)rovoked 
lum  that  he  gathered  all  his  strength  and  energy  for  one 
grand  elTort  and  gave  her  a  kick  that  sent  lu-r  clean  across 
the  river.  On  landing  she  was  "onverted  into  the  mass  of 
rock  which  remains  to  this  <lay  a  memorial  of  her  vieious- 
ness  and  a  warning  to  all  future  scolds.  The  metamor- 
phosis was  effected  by  the  Tshaumen,  but  how  the  neces- 
sary force  was  ac(juired  to  send  her  across  tlie  river  (liere 
about  half  a  mile  wide),  or  whether  the  kick  was  adminis- 
tered by  the  Tshauuien  or  the  husband,  my  narrator  could 
not  say.  He  was  altogether  at  a  loss  to  account  for  eon- 
version  of  the  husband  into  the  mass  of  rock  on  the  W'  st 
side  of  the  river  ;  nor  can  I  offer  any  tlieory  unless  it  is 
that  he  was  pc/n'Jied  by  astonishmejit  at  the  result. 

"  Such  legen<ls  as  this  would  be  of  interest  to  ethmdogists 
if  they  could  be  procured  direct  fmm  the  Indians,  but 
repeated  by  men  who  have  little  or  no  knowledge  of  the 
utility  of  legendary  lore,  and  less  sympathy  with  it,  they 
lose  much  of  their  value. 

"  Ik'tween  Forty  Mile  IJiver  utid  the  boun<lary  line  no 
stream  of  any  size  joins  tin-  Yuk<»n  ;  in  f.-tct,  there  is  oidy 
one  stream,  which  some  of  the  miners  have  mimed  Sheep 
Creek,  but  as  there  is  anotlier  stream  further  down  the 
river,  called  l)y  the  sam»  luine  .  1  have  mimed  it  Coal 
Creek.  It  is  live  miles  Wlow  Forty  .Mile,  and  <'<»mes  ill 
from  the  east,  and  isabu^e  creek,  but  notut  all  navigable. 


84 


KLONDYKK  FACTS. 


II 


Oil  it  some  extensive  roul  seams  were  seen,  which  will  be 
more  fully  referred  to  further  on. 


**  At  the  boundary  the  river  is  sonK'what  eontraeted, 
and  measures  oidy  1,280  feet  across  in  the  winter  ;  but  in 
summer,  at  ordinary  water  level,  it  would  be  about  one 
liundrtMl  feet  wider.  Immediately  below  the  boundary  it 
expamls  to  its  usual  width,  whurh  is  about  ti.ooo  foot. 
Tlie  area  of  the  cross  section  measured  is  '^'^.'-H'tH  feet,  the 
sectional  area  of  the  'Peslintoo,  as  determined  by  Dr. 
Dawson  and  already  referred  to,  is  3,S()!>  feet  ;  that  of  the 
Lewes  at  the  Teslintoo,  from  the  sann*  authority,  is  3,015 
feet.  Had  the  above  cross-section  been  reduced  to  the 
level  at  which  the  water  ordinarily  stands  durinjx  the  sum- 
mer months,  instead  of  to  the  height  at  which  it  stood  in 
the  middle  of  September  when  it  was  almost  at  its  lowest, 
the  sectional  area  would  have  been  at  least  50  })er  cent 
more, and  at  spring  flood  level  about  tlouble  the  above  area. 

**  It  is  aditlicult  matter  to  determine  the  actual  discharge 
at  th(?  place  of  the  cross-section,  owing  to  the  irregularity 
in  the  depth  and  current,  the  latter  being  in  the  deej) 
t'hannel  at  the  east  side,  when  I  tried  it  in  September, 
approximately  4*S  miles  per  hour;  while  on  tlu  bar  in 
midstream  it  was  not  more  than  2 "5  miles  per  hour  ;  and 
between  the  bar  and  the  westerly  shore  there  was  very 
little  current. 

**  The  river  above  this  for  some  miles  was  no  better  for 
the  j)ur|)ose  of  cross-section  measurenuMit.  At  thebouiul- 
ary  it  is  narrow  and  clear  of  bars  and  islands  for  some 
miles,  but  here  I  did  not  have  on  oj)))ortunity  todetermine 
the  rate  of  tlie  current  before  the  river  froze  n]»,  and 
after  it  froze  the  drift  ice  was  jammed  and  piled  so  high 
that  it  would  have  been  an  almost  endless  task  to  cut  holes 
through  it. 


KLOyDYKE  FACTS. 


85 


Tho  current  from  the  boinulury  down  to  tlie  confliuMice 
with  the  I'oreupine  is  said  to  be  strong' and  niucli  tiiesame 
as  that  above  ;  from  tlie  Porcupine  down,  for  a  distance 
of  five  or  six  hundred  miles  it  is  called  medium  and  tiio 
remainder  easy. 

From  Stewart  River  to  the  mouth  of  the  Yukon  is  about 
1,050  miles,  and  the  only  ditticult  place  in  all  this  distance 
is  the  part  near  the  confiuence  with  the  I'orcupine,  which 
has  evidently  been  a  lake  in  jjast  a^'es  but  is  now  filled  with 
islands  :  it  is  said  that  the  current  here  is  swift,  and  tho 
channels  generally  luirrow,  rendering  navigation  diffiuult. 


»6 


KLO^DYKK  FAVrm. 


TMIAPTEU  III. 


ADVICE  TO    BK(iIX\KHS. 


Mej^  who  arc  thinking  of  going  to  the  Klondyke  regions 
and  taking  a  trip  oi  tliis  cliaructer  for  the  first  time,  will 
do  well  to  carefully  read  the  chapter  on  "Outlit  for 
Miners."  It  is  a  great  mistake  to  take  anything  except 
what  is  necessary  ;  the  trij)  is  a  long  arduous  one,  and  a 
man  should  not  addonejiound  of  haggage  to  his  outfit  that 
can  be  dispensed  with.  I  have  known  men  who  have 
loaded  themselves  up  with  rifies,  revolvers  and  shot-guns. 
This  is  entirely  unnecessary.  lievolvers  will  get  you  into 
trouble,  and  there  is  no  use  of  taking  them  with  you,  Jis 
large  game  of  any  character  is  rarely  found  on  the  trij).  I 
have  prospected  through  this  region  for  some  years  and 
have  only  seen  one  nu)ose.  You  will  iu)t  see  any  largo 
ganu'  whatevi'r  on  your  trip  from  Juneau  to  Dawson  City, 
therefore  do  not  take  any  firearms  along. 

You  will  find  a  list  of  the  implenuMits  for  the  miner  in 
the  (ihapter  on  ''  Outfit  for  Miners." 

The  miners  here  are  a  very  mixed  class  of  people.  They 
rei)resent  many  nationalities  and  come  from  all  climates. 
Their  lives  are  certainly  not  enviable. 

The  regulation  miner's  cabin  is  12  by  14  with  walls  six 
feet  high  and  gables  eight  feet  in  height.  Tlio  roof  is 
heavily  earthed  and  the  cabin  is  generally  kept  very  warm. 
Two,  or  sometimes  three  or  four  men  will  live  in  a  house  of 
this  size.     The  ventilation  is  usually  bad,  the  windows 


KLONDYKK  FACTS.  Sf 

being  very  Hniiill.  Those  miners  wlio  do  not  work  their 
cluinis  (luring  the  winter  eonline  themselves  to  these  small 
huts  most  of  the  lime.  Very  often  they  heeomc  indolent 
and  careless,  only  eating  those  things  which  are  most  easily 
cooked  or  prei)ar('(l.  During  the  busy  time  in  summer 
when  they  arc  shovelling  in,  they  work  hard  ami  for  long 
hours,  sparing  little  time  for  eating  and  much  less  for 
cooking. 

This  manner  of  living  is  quite  common  amongst  begin- 
ners, and  soon  leads  to  debility  and  sometimes  to  scurvy. 
Old  miners  have  learned  from  experience  to  value  health 
more  than  gold,  and  they  therefore  spare  no  expense  in 
procuring  the  best  and  most  varied  outfit  of  food  that  can 
be  obtained. 

In  a  cold  climate  such  as  th'  ■,  where  it  is  impossible  to 
get  fresh  vegetaljles  and  fruits,  it  is  most  important  that 
the  best  substitutes  for  these  should  be  jirovided.  Nature 
helps  to  supply  these  wants  by  growing  cranberries  and 
other  Avild  fruits  in  abundance,  but  men  in  summer  are 
usually  too  busy  to  avail  themselves  of  these. 

The  diseases  met  with  in  this  country  are  dysi)e])sia, 
anivmia,  scurvy  caused  by  improperly  cooked  food,  same- 
ness of  diet,  overwork,  want  of  fresh  vegetables,  overheated 
and  badly  ventilated  houses;  rheumatism,  pneumonia, 
broncdiitis,  enteritis,  cystitis  aiul  other  acute  diseases,  from 
exposure  to  wet  and  cold  ;  debility  and  chronic  diseases, 
due  to  excesses. 

Men  coming  to  Klondyke  should  be  sober,  strong  and 
healthy.  They  should  be  j)ractical  men,  able  to  adapt 
themselves  (piickly  to  their  surroundings.  Special  care 
should  be  taken  to  see  that  their  lungs  are  sound,  that 
they  are  free  from  rlieunuitism  and  rheumati(!  tendency, 
and  that  their  joints,  espet'ially  knee  joints,  are  strong  and 
have  never  been  weake?u'd  by  injury,  synovitis  or  other 
disease.     It  is  also  verv  imi)ortant  to  consider  their  tem^ 


88 


KLOSDYKi:  FACTS. 


peramcnts.  Men  sliould  be  of  clieorful,  liopoful  disposi- 
tions und  willing  workers.  Tlioso  of  sullen,  morose  lui- 
feurcs,  idthoii^di  they  may  be  ^ood  workers,  jire  very  apt, 
lis  soon  as  the  novelty  of  the  country  wejirs  off,  to  l)ecomti 
dissatisfied,  pessimistic  and  melancholy. 


It 


081- 

iia- 
ipt, 
mm 


KLOSDYKK  FACTS. 


CIIAITKH   FV. 


OUTirr    KOU     MINKllS. 

Is  p:ivinf::  any  julvlcc  for  outfits  for  minors.  T  sliould  first 
stale  tliat  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  imrciiase  aiiytlii!(<,^  what- 
ever iK'fore  arriving  at  .luiu-au,  Alaska.  'I'his  luis  been  a 
supply  point  for  tiiat  regi(»n  for  upwards  of  ten  years,  and 
store-keei)ers  and  sup}»ly  companies  carry  in  stock  ex- 
actly what  is  necessary  for  tlie  miners.  Von  will  find  that 
their  pricres  are  reasonable,  considering  the  dilTeronco  in 
cost  of  transportation  at  any  jjoint  you  might  decide  to 
})ur('has(^  from  in  the  rnited  States  ;  in  fact  it  is  the  saving 
of  money  to  buy  in  .luneau. 

In  the  matter  of  clothing,  of  course,  it  must  \)v  left  to 
the  individual  taste  and  means  of  the  purchaser,  but  the 
miners  usually  adopt  the  native  costume  of  tlu^  region. 
The  boots  are  generally  imide  by  the  coast  Iiulians  and  are 
of  dilTerent  varieties.  'I'he  water  boot  is  made  of  seal  and 
walrus.  It  is  im})ortant  to  take  a  pair  of  rubber  boots 
along.  Additional  boots  can  be  purchased  at  Dawson 
City.  The  mitive  boots  cost  from  two  to  five  dollars  a  pair. 
Trousers  are  geiu'rally  m.  \q  from  Siberian  fawn  skins  and 
the  skin  of  the  nuirmot  or  the  ground  s(juirrcl.  'I'he  outer 
garments  are  generally  made  of  the  marmot  skin.  The 
people  at  Daw^son  C'ity  who  are  not  engaged  in  mining, 
such  as  store-keepers,  clerks,  etc.,  generally  wear  these 
garments.  (Jood  warm  ilannels  are  important.  Every- 
thing in  the  way  of  underwear  is  made  of  fiannel,  such  as 
shirts.     The  cost  of  Hannel  shirts  at  Dawson  City  is  ^5.  Hub- 


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90 


KL OND  YKE  FA  CTS. 


ber  boots  at  Dawson  City  arc  $10  to  $1^.00  ji  pair,  Blankets 
and  robes  are  used  for  bedding,  and  sbould  be  purrjliased 
at  Juneau.  Wolf  skins  make  the  best  robes.  Good  ones 
cost  $100  apiece,  but  cheaper  ones  can  be  obtained  from 
the  bear,  mink,  and  red  fox  and  Arctic  Hare.  Wimn 
socks  are  made  from  the  skin  of  the  Arctic  Hare. 

If  you  have  any  delay  at  Juneau,  you  will,  probably, 
be  asked  to  take  trips  to  the  fJiant  Glaciers,  Init  my  ad- 
vice is  to  stay  in  Juneau  until  the  steamer  is  ready  to  start 
for  Dyea.  You  will  need  all  the  rest  you  can  get  before 
starting  up  the  Pass. 

In  the  matter  of  provisions,  the  following  is  a  list  which 
is  considered  sufficient  to  last  a  man  on  his  trip  from 
Juneau  to  Dawson  City  : — 


'■« 


20  pounds  of  flour, 
12  pounds  of  bacon, 
-2     ''         "  beans, 

4  *'         "  butter, 

5  '^         ''  vegetables, 

4  cans  of  condensed  milk, 

5  pounds  of  sugar, 
1  pound  of  tea, 

3  pounds  of  coffee, 
1  1-2  pound  of  salt, 
5  pounds  of  corn  meal, 
A  small  portion  of  pepper  and  mustard. 


The  followiiig  utensils  should  be  taken  :— 


1  frying  pan, 
1  water  kettle, 
1  Yukon  stove, 

1  bean  pot, 

2  plates. 


'» 


KLONDYKE  FACTS,  91 

1  tin  drinking  cup, 

1  tea  pot, 

1  knife  and  fork, 

1  large  and  1  small  cooking  pan. 

The  following  tools  should  be  brought  as  part  of  the  out- 
fit : — These  will  be  found  absolutely  necessary  to  build  a 
boat  at  Lake  Lindeman  : — 

1  jack  plane, 
1  whip  saw, 
1  cross-cut  saw, 
1  axe, 
1  hatchet, 
1  hunting-knife. 
G  pounds  of  assorted  nails, 
1  pound  of  oakum, 
5  pounds  of  pitch, 
150  feet  of  rope, 
1  Junoau  sled. 

It  is  also  necessary  to  have  one  good  duck  tent  and  a 
rubber  blanket. 

A  good  piece  of  mosquito  netting  will  not  be  heavy  and 
will  also  be  very  great  comfort  on  the  trip. 

Do  not  forget  to  put  in  a  good  sui)ply  of  matches,  and 
take  a  small  supply  of  fishing  tackle,  hooks,  etc. 

It  is  very  important  that  you  have  a  pair  of  snow  glasses 
to  guard  against  snow  blindness. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  know  the  prices  at  Dawson  City 
for  supplies : 

When  I  left  in  June,  1807. 
Flour  was  sold  in  50  pound  l)ags  at  $0,00  a  bag. 
Fresh  beef  was  supplied  at  50  cents  a  pound. 
Bacon  was  40  cents. 


92 


KLONDYKE  FACTS. 


Coffee  was  50  cents  per  pound. 

IJrown  sugur  was  20  cents  per  jjound  and  granulated 
sugar  was  25  cents  a  pound. 

Condensed  milk  was  50  cents  per  can. 

Pick  axes  were  $0.00  each. 

Miners'  shovels  were  $3.00  each. 

Lumher  right  at  Dawson  City  was  $1*30.00  per  thousand 
feet  undressed,  and  $150.00  per  thousand  feet  dressed. 

It  is  well  ])erhaps  to  advise  the  traveller  to  supply  him- 
self with  a  small  medicine  box  which  can  bo  purchased  in 
Juneau,  but  it  is  not  necessary  if  he  enjoys  good  rugged 
health. 

On  arriving  at  Dawson  City,  luxuries  will  be  found  to  be 
very  high  ;  what  is  to  be  considered  a  very  cheap  cigar  in 
the  United  States,  two  for  5  cents,  sells  in  Dawson  City 
at  50  cents  each. 

Liquors  command  very  high  prices.  Whisky  sells  in 
the  saloons  for  50  cents  a  glass,  and  fluctuates  from  $15.00 
to  $25.00  per  gallon,  according  to  the  supplies  received 
from  the  at  present  overtaxed  transportation  companies. 
There  was  about  12,000  gallons  of  whisky  imported  into 
the  territory  from  Canada  the  past  year.  Smoking  tobacco 
was  selling  at  $1.50  a  pound  and  good  plug  cut  and  fancy 
tobacco  was  selling  at  $2.00  a  pound. 

The  demand  for  medicine  is  very  light,  but  the  local 
traders  carry  a  small  stock  of  patent  and  proprietary 
medicines. 


f  » 


KLONDYKE  NUGGETS, 


f 
ft 


CHAPTER  y. 


miners'  luck. 


TiiK  reports  alrojidy  received  of  the  finds  of  gold 
seem  beyond  belief  but  the  greater  part  of  them  are 
actujil  facts,  and  the  following  came  under  my  ])er- 
sonal  observation : — 

Alexander  McDonald,  on  Claim  No.  30,  Eldorado, 
on  the  Klondyke,  started  drifting  on  his  claim  with 
four  men.  The  men  agreed  to  work  the  claim  on 
shares,  the  agreement  being  that  they  should  work 
on  shares  by  each  receiving  half  of  what  they  could 
get  out.  The  five  together  took  out  $95,000.00  in 
twenty-eight  days.  The  ground  dug  up  was  found 
to  measure  but  40  square  feet.  This  was  an  excep- 
tional find.  The  men  are  of  course  working  the 
claim  and  had  400  scpuire  feut  on  the  claim  still  to 
work  out  when  I  left  for  the  East. 

People  in  the  East  or  elsewhere  can  hardly  realize 
what  a  small  space  a  mining  claim  is  in  this  vast 
and  comparatively  unexplored  territory. 

"William  Leggatt  on  Claim  Xo.  13,  Eldorado,  to- 
gether with  William  Gates  and  a  miner  named 
Shoots,  purchased  their  claim  from  a  miner  named 
Stewart,  and  his  partner,  for  the  sum  of  $45,000.00. 
They  did  not  have  money  to  make  the  payment  in 


KLONDYKE  NUGGETS. 

cash  but  made  a  first  payment  of  $2,000.00  with  the 
a<^reement  to  pay  ^.he  bahmce  of  the  purchase  price, 
$4H,<»0().OO,  prior  to  July  1st,  1897.  They  sunk  a 
shaft  and  commenced  taking  out  $1,000.00  per  day. 

Tliey  worked  the  pay  dirt  until  about  May  15, 
1SI)7,  when  they  found  that  they  had  taken  out 
$(12,000.0(1,  and  the  space  of  the  claim  worked  was 
only  twenty-four  square  feet. 

A  young  man  wlio  went  to  the  Klondyke  recently 
writes  that  he  is  taking  out  $1,800.00  a  day  from 
his  claim. 

"It  is  stated  on  good  autliority  that  one  claim 
yielded  $0o,000  in  45  feet  up  and  down  the  stream. 
(Marence  Berry  bought  out  his  two  partners,  paying 
one  $35,000  and  the  other  $60,000,  and  has  taken  up 
$140,000  from  the  winter  dump  alone.  Peter 
Wiborg  has  purchased  more  ground.  He  purchased 
his  partner's  interest  in  a  claim,  paying  $42,000.  A 
man  by  the  name  of  AVall  has  all  he  thinks  he  wants, 
and  is  coming  out.  lie  sold  his  interests  for  $50,000. 
Nearly  rJl  tiie  gold  is  found  in  the  creek  bed  on  the 
bed  rock,  but  there  are  a  few  good  bench  diggings. 

Perliaps  the  most  interesting  reading  in  the 
Mini)} (J  I^ecord  is  the  letters  written  by  men  in  the 
Klondyke  to  friends  in  Juneau.  Here  is  one  from 
''  Casey  "  Moran  : 


f  ? 


Dawson,  March  20,  1897. 


"  FmEND  George  :  Don't  pay  any  attention  to 
what  any  one  says,  but  come  in  at  your  earliest  op- 
portunity.    My  God!   it  is  appalling  to  hear  the 


KLONDYKE  NUGGETS, 


t 


r, 


trutli,  l)ut  nevertheless  the  worhl  has  never  pro- 
(hieed  its  equal  before.  Well,  come.  That's  all. 
Your  friend, 

"  Casey." 

Burt  Shuler,  writin«,^  from  Klondyke  under  date  of 
June  5,  says : 

"  We  have  been  here  but  a  short  time  and  we  all 
have  money.  Provisions  are  much  higher  than  tliey 
were  two  years  ago  and  clotliing  is  clean  out  of 
sight.  One  of  the  A.  C.  Co.'s  boats  was  lost  in  the 
spring,  and  there  will  be  a  shortage  of  provisions 
again  this  fall.  There  is  nothing  that  a  man  could 
eat  or  wear  that  he  cannot  get  a  good  price  for. 
First-class  rubber  boots  are  worth  from  an  ounce  of 
gold  to  $25  a  pair.  The  price  of  flour  has  been 
raised  from  $4  to  $(],  as  it  was  being  freighted 
from  Forty  Mile.  Big  money  can  be  made  by 
bringing  a  small  outfit  over  the  trail  this  fjill. 
Wages  have  been  $15  per  day  all  winter,  though 
a  reduction  to  $10  was  attem})ted,  but  the  miners 
quit  work.  .  .  .  Here  is  a  creek  that  is  eighteen 
miles  long,  aiul,  as  far  as  is  known,  without  a  miss. 
There  are  not  enough  men  in  the  country  to-day 
to  work  the  claims.  Several  other  creeks  show 
equal  promise,  but  very  little  work  has  l)een  done 
on  the  latter.  I  have  seen  gold  dust  until  it  seems 
almost  as  cJieap  as  sawdust.  If  you  are  coming 
in,  come  prepared  to  stay  two  years  at  least ;  bring 
plenty  of  clothing  and  good  rubber  boots." 


KLONDYKE  NUGGETS 


Thus  far  little  attempt  to  mine  quartz  has  been 
made  in  the  interior  of  Alaska  and  the  Northwest, 
although  many  quartz  croppings  have  been  seen.  It 
would  cost  too  much  to  take  in  the  machinery  and  to 
build  a  plant  until  transportation  facilities  are  better. 
In  time,  however,  quartz  mining  operations  will  com- 
mence, for  the  placer  mines  were  washed  down  from 
the  mother  veins  somewhere.  If  the  washings  have 
made  the  richest  placers  in  the  world,  what  must  the 
mother  veins  be?     One  dares  hardly  to  imagine. 

This  is  a  brief  description  of  the  gold  region  in  the 
Northwest. 

I  will  cheerfully  answer  all  iiuiuiries  respecting 
Klondyke  addressed  to  me  at  my  New  York  office,  20 
Nassau  street. 

JOSEPH   LADUE. 

For  further  and  more  detailed  information  on  Routes 
and  Distances,  Transportations,  Mining  Laws,  How 
to  Stake  a  Claim,  Where  to  Register  Your  Claim, 
Modes  of  Placer  Mining  and  Quartz  Mining,  Return  of 
Gold  from  the  Diggings,  Mortality,  Cost  of  Living, 
etc.,  I  refer  the  reader  to  my  book  on  this  subject  en- 
titled "  Klondyke  Facts,"  a  work  of  about  224  pages. 
It  is  published  in  paper  covers  at  50  cents  a  copy  with 
maps  and  illustrations,  and  is  sent  postpaid  by  the  pub- 
lishers on  receipt  of  50  cents. 

American  Technicai,  Book  Co., 

45  Vesey  Street, 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  U.S.A. 


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